


Tiefe Wasser (sind nicht still)

by Hermaline75



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Historical, Anal Sex, Class Differences, Historical Inaccuracy, Kinda, M/M, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Homophobia, Riches to Rags, Victorian Science, Werewolves, Where in history? Who knows?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-01 16:07:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 26,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4026259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermaline75/pseuds/Hermaline75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having fled the house of Baron Laufey, Loki and his former servant and current lover Thor try to find safety and security in the town.</p>
<p>But trying to keep your relationship hidden, adapt to new surroundings and deal with a certain beastly monthly problem can be very tricky.</p>
<p>(This is a follow up to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3868150">Du riechst so gut.</a> Please read that first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Werewolves, man. Can't help it. Love them. So I'm adding to the wonderful array of current Thorloki werewolf fics with this.
> 
> It's not quite finished yet, but nearly, and so I decided I would start posting and give myself a deadline for actually figuring out an appropriate ending.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it. As always comments, questions, incomprehensible lines of vowels and kudos are all very welcome.

They had walked for hours, Thor still shivering in his shirt sleeves and Loki stony faced when they stumbled past a sign that he said meant they'd crossed a county boundary. At least they were no longer under Laufey's jurisdiction.

"We're going to need money," Thor said vaguely. "For lodging and things. I know I said I'd steal but I don't think that's actually a good idea. Not if we're going to live here."

No response.

"If only we had something to sell, then we could get a few coins honestly."

Still nothing. They kept walking, Loki's bare feet vaguely blue from the cold.

Thor didn't register that he'd spoken when he first did.

"Sorry, what?"

"Fish. Sleep where we can, you take fish to the nearest town. Get money for clothes, find work and lodgings. Little by little."

"Why fish?"

A shrug. "It's what I know how to get."

Part of him wondered how Loki knew how to fish. He didn't. He hadn't ever needed to. Food arrived at the big house through a complex delivery system that Thor had never questioned. He ate when he was told, ensured the baron and Loki and any visiting guests were kept fed and carried bags of flour and barrels of beer into the storeroom, but had no idea how to fend for himself outside. 

That house had been his home for several years. Loki's for his whole life. It felt very strange to leave it. He didn't have any family left that he knew how to contact, but Loki was leaving his relatives behind too.

"Do you want to...talk about your father?" he tried.

Loki let out a deep, shuddering sigh.

"It's better to run," he said softly. "He hates me. I'm his shame."

"What, because... Because of what you are?"

"Yes. He blames me for my mother's death. His second wife. She died and I lived and through me the beast that killed her lived under his roof. But I'm the only heir he had after four wives had tried and failed to produce and often died in the attempt. He had to keep me. Well, no more. I'll keep myself."

Thor wasn't sure how to react. He felt that he knew Loki better than anyone, but he'd had no idea that this darkness existed between father and son.

"It wasn't your fault," he said, uselessly.

Loki stopped walking to stare at him.

"I know. But you don't know what it's like growing up when everyone knows that you're a monster. They thought I didn't hear them when they called me dog and beast, but I knew."

Thor wasn't sure what to say to that either as Loki fell back into step and settled on laying a hand carefully on his back instead.

"It's not their fault really," Loki said bitterly. "After all, I would probably have eaten them given the chance. No, it's good to leave. Go where no-one knows what I am."

He pointed ahead to the next valley.

"Look. Smoke, fire, people. Any idea where we are?"

"I've... I've never been this far from the village before. Have you?"

"Not since I was a child. Puppies are curious things. It was not uncommon for me to wake up naked in a forest, blood all over me from whatever birds or rodents I'd managed to catch and my father's dogs hunting for me."

And that had Thor worried.

"Will he send them for you this time?" he asked.

"I doubt it. They haven't hunted me in years. They're afraid of me. I killed one once."

"You... You killed a dog?"

Loki sighed. "Not deliberately. My uncle... He, er... I had upset him, mocked him in front of some girl half his age that he was trying to seduce. So to teach me a lesson, he threw me in with the dogs."

"Good God. Were you...human at the time?"

A snort. "I'm never human."

"Not, but..."

"I know what you meant. But it's true. Most of the time I look human and I sound human, act human, but I'm not. And I can't forget what I am."

He hadn't answered the first question and Thor decided not to push. He'd been told enough for now.

"Your life was harder than I knew," he said instead.

Loki laughed a little. "There's plenty have it worse. But I'm not sorry to be leaving."

"I'm... I'm glad to be with you."

He meant it too, even as his body complained and longed for the softness and warmth of a proper bed. Life without Loki in it didn't seem like much of a life at all.

They stumbled across a run-down cottage in a wood close to the town. It was clearly long abadoned and in disrepair, but it was shelter and it had a hearth that they could build a fire in, the dry leaves that had blown in during the autumn looking like perfect kindling.

"We should wait," Loki said, eyeing the striking stone. "Until after dark. Someone might see the smoke in the daylight and wonder."

Thor nodded, for all that his body was cold.

"I'll be back soon. There's a river not far from here. My reflexes are better the closer I am to the full moon. Take the cloak, you're shivering."

"No," Thor said. "You should be covered. If anyone sees you, being naked in this weather will be hard to explain."

He sat for a while in the quiet after Loki left before growing restless and deciding to visit the town to scope it out.

Thor had heard of towns and cities, but had never been to one. There was such an over abundance of people, several times the population of the village he'd grown up in, and they all seemed to be busy and loud. It was rather overwhelming, the shouts and chatter, the size of the buildings, the sheer number of horses.

And the smell. Maybe it was because he'd been in the fresh air all day, but the stench of refuse and manure was very strong.

He was wandering aimlessly when he heard a yell. A woman shouting, as though at some kind of wrong doer or ruffian. He followed the sound, ready to leap into action should a young lady need assistance. After all, in stories the hero always did such things in towns.

"Move, you... Stupid, stubborn thing!"

It was indeed a young woman, thick dark hair escaping from under a woolen bonnet. She was trying to force a waterpump to work, but it seemed to have seized.

He watched with some amusement as she kicked the disobedient equipment, yelping in pain afterwards.

"Excuse me," he said, approaching. "You seem to be having trouble. Might I help?"

She looked over at him, dark eyes in a pale face with the kind of full red lips he'd always imagined on fairytale princesses. She took in his clothes, or unseasonable lack thereof and his uncombed hair and the straw that still clung to him in places and took a step back.

"Go ahead," she said wearily. "If you can get water out, I'll owe you something."

It took a bit of jiggling, but eventually he managed to make the pump work, splashing into the girl's bucket.

She clapped her gloved hands delightedly.

"Oh, thank you," she said. "Thank you so much. I'm afraid I don't actually have anything I can give you in return..."

"It's no trouble," Thor said. "Though I intend to move to this town imminently. Would you happen to know anywhere I might find work?"

"That depends. What kind of work?"

"I recently left service. And I am strong. I can lift and carry, transport things. And my...cousin will be coming soon. He is a learned man, has his letters and numbers, far more useful than me."

She looked him up and down, taking a particular notice of his arms.

"It is possible that my mistress could have some use for you. This is her establishment, though I regret she is busy this evening. Come back whenever you are able in the day and I'm sure she would be happy to meet with you."

Thor looked over her shoulder at the building and sign indicated.

"What kind of an establishment is it?"

The girl drew herself up haughtily.

"It's a highly respectable inn, I'll have you know. Nothing loose or immoral. What, just because it's owned by a woman, you think we're not respectable?"

Thor's eyes widened and he stammered apologetically.

"I did not mean to imply anything of the sort," he said. "I couldn't read the sign. An honest question, Miss, I swear. It was not my intention to offend. I would be very grateful if the lady could find the time to consider me."

A crooked smile.

"Maybe you can't read, but at least you talk pretty. When you return, say that Miss Lewis told you to. That's me."

Thor bowed out of habit, which seemed to amuse her.

"Thank you very much," he said. "I'm Odinson, but Thor to friends."

She nodded, the wind whipping up their hair again.

"A pleasure to meet you. And now I'm afraid I simply must go somewhere warmer before my fingers drop off. You must have warmer blood than me to stand being without a coat."

Thor smiled once she vanished inside. His first day in the town and already making a new acquaintance and taking strides in his search for work. How happy Loki would be when he heard.

He briefly paused outside a bakery to stare hungrily at the loaves within, even thinking to look for stale bread thrown out - unlikely, but possible.

Instead he merely found an old empty flour sack, full of holes where something small had nibbled at it. The surviving fabric was fine however, a tight weave to prevent the soft grain being lost. He picked it up thoughtfully and started making his way back to the woods.

It was nearly dark when he reached the cottage again, a light glow where Loki had lit the fire. The enticing scent of cooking fish greeted him.

Loki looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes when he pushed the door open, as though he'd been crying.

"Are you all right?" Thor asked, surprised.

"I thought... I thought you'd left me."

Thor was by his side in an instant, wrapping his arms around his thin frame.

"No, never. I went to the town, that's all."

Loki sniffed. "Well, leave a note next time."

"I can't. You know I don't know how to write. It's never been important before."

Loki blinked a little, staring at the fire. He'd impaled a fish on a sharp stick and was carefully cooking it in the flames.

"If course you don't," he said softly. "Sorry. Reading seems as natural to me as breathing. I can't imagine being without it. Can you truly not write at all?"

Reaching forward, Thor scratched the only letter he knew in the old ashes in front of the grate.

"There," he said. "L. For Loki. That's the only one I can recognise for sure."

"Why that one?"

He hesitated, but there was no sense in lying.

"Because it was also L for Laufey. He used to send me to the Post Office with the instructions written down to give to the post master. He trusted me with the money to do it. And all his letters were sealed with wax with L printed in."

Loki rested his head against Thor's shoulder and scratched two lines in front of them.

"There. T for Thor."

"What? No, Thor doesn't start with a T."

"If course it does!"

"No. It starts with a TH. Tttthhhhor."

To his surprise, and pleasure, Loki laughed, drawing back the stick and prodding at the fish.

"Pass across that large stone."

Thor obeyed without question, as was his habit, and watched as Loki laid the fish down and began taking little flakes of it with his fingers, motioning for Thor to follow suit.

It wasn't much, and parts of it were still only partially cooked, but to Thor it was a king's banquet.

He could still taste it on Loki's lips afterwards as they kissed, lying on the flour sack and beneath his cloak, huddling before the embers of the fire.


	2. Chapter 2

"I met a young woman," Thor murmured the next morning as they clung together for warmth, the first hints of sunlight sneaking in through the dirty windows. "Her mistress might have work for me. In an inn."

"What kind of young woman?"

"I don't know. Friendly, I suppose. She was very determined that I know she wasn't...unrespectable."

"Do you think this friendly, definitely-not-unrespectable young woman might want fish?"

He'd caught three in total, the one they'd devoured and two more that he'd stored outside in the snow for freshness. Thor managed to find the remains of a barrel that gave them a little water, once they'd broken the ice on it. Enough to drink a few handfuls and wipe his face at least a bit. He didn't want his unwashed state to upset his potential new employer.

"You're sure you don't need the cloak?" Loki asked. "I'll be fine with the sackcloth and ashes."

Thor got the feeling he was being teased a little, but opted to use the practical approach.

"No, you keep it and stay warm. I'll be back soon, hopefully with something to show for it."

He decided not to return to where he'd met Miss Lewis right away. An inn was like a big house, after all. No doubt they had any fish they needed delivered. But someone who sold fish, they might be willing to purchase good stock for the right price.

He carried their prize into town, walking until he saw a sign with a picture of a fish on it, and stepped inside to join the little queue.

Wearing his widest smile, Thor held up his offering to the fishmonger.

"Good day, sir. I have here some fresh fish, too much for my family, and I wonder if you might care to..."

"Yeah? Where did you get those? Stolen? Poached?"

Thor floundered as the door opened behind him.

"Of course not," he managed. "I merely wish to sell them honestly for whatever..."

"I'm not handling stolen goods, no matter how 'fresh' they may be. We don't like thieves around here."

Thor felt the anger rise in his breast. 

"We are not thieves. We are honest men."

"Get out before I summon the constable."

He was about to protest further when he was interrupted.

"I'll buy your fish," a female voice said behind him.

He turned to find an imposing lady, only a few inches smaller than he was, with a fringe of red-blonde hair setting off a pale blue hat. She opened the door for him motioning him outside, ignoring the shop owner's protests 

"Don't worry about him," she said under her breath. "You know how it is in small towns. Some people are suspicious of newcomers even though this place is crying out for new blood."

Thor blinked a little at the idea that this was a small town. It seemed very large to him. But he followed the woman down the street and into a shop with a vast variety of items on display.

She stepped behind a high desk and drew off her gloves, something Thor had never seen a high-born lady do. Any female guests he'd seen in his time at the big house had seemed to wear them constantly.

Of course, his own mother, a seamstress, had had work-roughened fingers, thick skin which protected her against the prick of her needles. This lady's elegant fingers were very different.

"How much do you want for the fish?"

He hesitated. "Whatever you think is a fair price. I don't want pity, only what they're worth."

His eye was caught by a shirt hanging behind her.

"Do you...sell clothes?" he asked. "I am in need of some."

"Sometimes we have clothing, yes. We're a pawn shop, so we sell most everything."

Thor wasn't quite sure what that meant, so he just smiled.

"I would happily trade the fish for that shirt and a pair of breeches, if you have some. Oh, and boots."

She eyed him oddly. 

"That is a lot for two fish," she said. "And that garment would be too small for you anyway."

"It's not for me. It's for my cousin. We come seeking work. I'm supposed to return to an inn that I visited last night to ask about employment."

She looked at him in surprise.

"Which inn?"

"I'm... I'm not sure of the name. I spoke to a Miss Lewis outside."

A smile. "Oh, Miss Foster's. That explains it. She is not long arrived herself and has had some trouble with certain locals who... Let's just say they disapprove of progress and her particular brand of reason. I'm sure she'd be happy to have you. And your cousin? Is he to work there too?"

"Maybe. I don't know. He can read and write and knows numbers. He'll be very useful somewhere."

She looked at him, scrutinizing his features.

"You have an honest face. I'll tell you what," she said. "The shirt in exchange for the fish. Boots and breeches on loan."

She drew out a sheet of paper from under the desk and began to write on it, using a little inkwell set into the wood.

"Send your cousin to see me. My employer is frequently away. We could use the help. He can work off the cost, or you can pay in cash when you have earned some. Please sign here."

Thor stared at the line indicated and carefully picked up the pen in his fist.

"Oh..." she said, realising his difficulty. "A cross will do. Any kind of mark."

Remembering what Loki had shown him the previous night, Thor carefully scratched a T. The ink spotted a bit, but it was clear enough.

He left to visit Miss Foster with a bundle of clothes, an address card to give Loki about the pawn shop, and a spring in his step. Life in the town was easy. People were kind and reasonable and friendly, once you'd found the right ones. They'd fit in well here.

His bright mood was rather dampened by not finding Miss Lewis again. Instead a stern, older man was inside, eyeing Thor with distrust as soon as he entered.

"Here for a room?"

"Erm... No. I'm here for a job. Miss Lewis told me to come."

"Did she now? Well, Miss Lewis isn't in charge of hiring."

"She said I should come to see the lady of the house."

"Miss Lewis says a lot of things she oughtn't. I don't think we have anything at present. You should leave."

For the second time that day, Thor found his arguments cut off by a lady's voice.

"What's going on?"

He turned to meet the newcomer, and set eyes on one of the most attractive women he had ever seen.

She wasn't exceptionally beautiful. Pretty, in a quiet, petite way, but she held herself with a degree of dignity and grace that gave her great presence. Thor found himself staring and deliberately lowered his gaze.

"Excuse me," he said. "Miss Lewis said... I helped her last night with..."

"The water pump. Yes, she told me that she had effectively offered a young man a job without consulting me. She said you have already been in service?"

"Er... Yes, miss. Almost all my life. My cousin and I come looking for work and lodgings. He is to attend the pawn shop, and I offer my services here. I can clean and perform household duties, and I'm strong enough. A fast learner too. I would be most grateful if you would consider me."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"I can't afford to pay you much," she said. "But we have many empty rooms. You and your cousin could make use of one. And, well, we don't have too much food, but what we have..."

"Jane, I really must protest," the man spoke up. "We cannot allow strange men into the house."

"We are an inn. Allowing strangers in is what we do. An extra pair of hands would be very helpful. Come back tomorrow, Mr...?"

"Odinson. Thor Odinson. Thank you so much, miss. You're very kind."

She smiled as he took one of her dainty hands in his and brushed his lips briefly against her glove.

He practically ran back to the woods, ecstatic with what he'd achieved. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he found that Loki had already set up the fire and started cooking more fish.

He laid down his bundle triumphantly, Loki looking at it in disbelief.

"Are those boots?" he asked.

"Yes. Boots, shirt, breeches. I hope they fit at least well enough. Though I admit, I will miss having you naked all the time."

Loki smirked a little, but still looked concerned. 

"How did you get these?"

"Erm... Well, the shirt I got for the fish. And I got you work to pay for the other things."

And now Loki looked terrified.

"Did you use my name?"

"What? No. I said you were my cousin, but that's all."

A relieved sigh.

"All right. I can't use my real name, you see. Just in case my father starts looking for me."

"What should I call you then?"

"I'll think of something, I'm sure."

Thor recounted the rest of his story, how he seemed to have found work and board and lodgings for them both. He was very proud, and justly so, he thought.

"Congratulations," Loki said. "It seems you have charmed half the women in the town."

He laughed at Thor's expression.

"It's all right. You were very successful. So much so that I feel you deserve a reward after we eat."

The implication in his voice was clear and Thor may have bolted his fish just a little in his excitement.


	3. Chapter 3

"You just lie back..."

Thor let himself be pushed backwards onto the flour bag, pulse already starting to speed up. Loki straddled him to pull off his shirt, wrapping up the fabric to press it to his nose and inhale deeply.

"I must stink to you," Thor said. "I need a good wash."

"Mm. My senses are almost back to normal now. Besides, I like the way you smell."

"Don't I know it?"

He dragged Loki down for kisses, letting their chests rub together. The air was chilly, but Loki was warm and pliant-lipped against him. He could feel one of Loki's hands tugging at the laces on his breeches.

"Like in the barn?" he asked, trying to sort out their legs.

"No, I want to use my mouth on you."

It was not an activity that they had practised often, or at least not like this. From time to time, afraid of discovery but aroused by the danger, one of them used to drop to their knees in a corridor and race to take the other apart in limited time, but it was always a rushed and sloppy thing.

Right now, it seemed that Loki wanted to take it slow.

He eased off Thor's breeches making some comment about buying small clothes soon, and lowered his head to simply breathe on his cock. There was barely any sensation and it drove Thor mad with want.

He yelped when Loki ran his tongue up the underside of his shaft, a little breathy chuckle only serving to tease him more.

It seemed an age of little kisses and gentle licks before Loki took the head into his mouth and Thor cried out again. Every inch was taken care off in a way he'd never appreciated. Loki was humming encouragingly, bobbing up and down, tongue swirling. Thor's head hit the ground, but he couldn't bring himself to mind the pain in the face of the unbelievable pleasure he was feeling.

He tried to warn Loki of his imminent release, but either he didn't hear or he wanted to swallow everything Thor could give him, crawling gracefully up his body afterwards to kiss the gasps from his lips.

"I should... Should do you..."

"You're tired, my love. I'll look after myself. You can watch though."

Thor rolled onto his side to experience the sight of Loki lying back with a hand around his own cock, light touches at first that grew into fast, hard tugs, biting his lower lip to muffle his grunt when he came, spilling over his fingers. Thor did insist on being allowed to lick them clean.

"So..." he said from beneath the cloak afterwards. "What are your views on kissing cousins?"

Loki laughed sleepily. "I come from the landed gentry. Fucking your cousin is a long-established tradition. But I do think we should keep it quiet."

They fell asleep smiling, eager to be up and on their way to security and real beds.

"You should call me Lucas," Loki said the next morning. "I want to keep the L, since you can write it."

"All right. And your surname? You can't be Laufeyson..."

"I was thinking Argento. It means...like silver. Your aunt married an Italian, hence my dark hair. It was my maternal grandmother's name. I feel kinship with it."

That seemed as good a reason as any. The clothes Thor had acquired were slightly large on Loki, but not too much so. They would do until they could afford something else.

"I think this cottage would be a good place for me," Loki said softly as they were leaving. "For when I need to...change. It's away from people, I can be shut in. I'll be safer."

Thor nodded. "We could make it better," he said. "Repair it and come to live out here when it's ready, just the two of us. Travel in for work. And we would have privacy here to be ourselves without worrying."

Loki smiled and Thor felt his heart swell.

"I think I would like that very much."

The town somehow seemed less welcoming with both of them walking in, though that might have been Thor being overly concerned for Loki. Miss Foster herself was behind the desk this morning and greeted them politely.

"We wondered if you might like a bath after your journey," she said. "You'll have to share it, I'm afraid, but the water is warming down in the kitchen."

Sure enough, among the gleaming copper pans and hanging herbs in the basement room, a large tub was sitting in front of the range. It wasn't big enough for them both together, which Thor would have preferred perhaps, but he was content enough to sit by while Loki sighed happily into the lukewarm water.

"She's pretty," Loki said. "Your new boss."

"Hmm. So's yours. When you see her. And so is Miss Lewis. It seems to be a town full of handsome young ladies."

"And the young men?"

"I have not seen any up close under fifty."

Loki smiled. "Good. I have no mind to be jealous."

"You have no reason to be so. Nor will you ever have."

"Promises, promises..."

He got dressed afterwards, taking the cloak ready to follow Thor's directions to the pawn shop with his introductory card in hand, leaving the slightly grey water for him with a soft kiss.

It got significantly dirtier once Thor had been in it for a few moments. It was delicious though, soothing his body and peeling off the grime of the past few days.

He jumped when the door opened and heard the squeak of Miss Lewis' surprise.

"Sorry!" she called through the door. "I thought you'd be finished."

"That's all right. Nearly done."

He rushed out of the bath, drying himself quickly and dressing before opening the door.

She beamed at him.

"So glad you're here. We really need another pair of hands. I'm going to show you around, show you the ropes. Come on."

She told him to call her Darcy, since she wanted to be friends. She was the maid of all jobs - which meant, she said, that she did everything of any use. 

"Looking after the guests, looking after Miss Foster, looking after the building, cooking, cleaning, laundry, that's me. Mr Selvig looks after any horses we have arriving. I think you'll mostly be working with me, with some other tasks if you can do them."

"What kind of things?"

"Repairs and such. Now, when you're not doing any duties, feel free to come sit in the kitchen and keep me company. However, the other basement room is strictly off limits. Unless Miss Foster expressly asks you to go in, you do not go in. It's a private area. Think of it as her chambers and don't enter without her explicit permission."

This was said in a much harsher manner than anything else he'd been told, and his curiosity was piqued despite himself. But he didn't want to make a poor impression on his new employers so vowed not to pry.

And not to tell Loki either, for surely he would want to find out exactly what was being hidden from them, even if it was just Miss Foster's slips.

"Is Mr Selvig... Is he Miss Foster's uncle or...?"

"Oh, no, no. He works with her."

She looked rather shifty after that, as if that hadn't been what she'd meant.

"When are your bags arriving?" she asked.

"Well, we... We don't have any. We have our clothes, but that's all."

Her eyes widened.

"Nothing at all? Wow. Well, I'm sure we can borrow something from Mr Selvig to cover you when we launder your things."

There were no guests in, but a coach was expected later, the guests staying overnight on their way to somewhere else. Thor happily followed Darcy about the inn, replenishing coal supplies, ensuring the ablution basins were filled and the chamber pots empty.

"Ever dressed a man?" Darcy asked. "Other than yourself, of course."

"Yes, once or twice. My former employer sometimes had guests and when we were short of hands I would valet for them."

"Oh, good. It's not proper for me to do it, you see. And they get so shirty when you tell them that adults ought to be able to dress themselves."

Thor laughed. He liked Darcy. There was no artifice about her and, despite her words, she didn't seem remotely concerned with being proper. There was an earthly, friendly quality to her that he couldn't help but be drawn to.

This could not be said of Mr Selvig, who eyed him suspiciously when Darcy led him outside to the small yard. There was room for only a few horses and perhaps one coach at a time.

"Anything you need done around here, Mr Selvig?" he asked, eager to prove himself useful.

"No."

"Oh, come along now," Darcy said. "You were complaining about the hole in the roof only the other day. He's tall, he'll be able to reach. Bring out the tools."

Mr Selvig grumbled some more, but produced a tool box, nails and some scrap wood, indicating a leaking gap in one of the timbers. It did take a while and a bit of scrambling, but by the time an early dinner was announced, Thor had managed to fix it up, gaining a grudging nod that pleased him immensely.

Dinner was the third time he had ever seen Miss Foster, and he was faintly surprised that she would eat with them. She didn't say very much, apparently concentrating on her meal. He put aside a fair share of food for Loki before helping with the evening's visitors, a man and woman en route to London.

Loki came home in the interim, eating what was left for him and sitting stiffly, shyly, in the kitchen. Thor struggled not to joyously kiss him until they were safely in their room for the night.

"How was your first day in employment?" Thor asked.

"Easy enough. It's mostly keeping tracks of dates and payments, some removals. Her name is Potts. Miss Potts. And her fiancé makes automatons."

"Auto whats?"

"Automatons. Metal machines. They look like people or animals and perform short dances using clockwork."

Thor was thinking of a twirling watch when Loki crawled into bed with him. It seemed delightfully soft after the cold earth and Thor was tired after his day's work, but he duly wrapped Loki in his arms and kissed him until he felt himself falling asleep.

"Got to... You got to go back to your bed before Darcy comes to wake us."

"Oh, it's Darcy now, is it? Not Miss Lewis?"

Thor flapped at him sleepily.

"All right. Just a little longer. I love you."

"Love you too."

He didn't know when Loki slipped across the room to the other bed. It seemed as though he'd barely closed his eyes before Darcy was prodding him in the side and whispering that he ought to rouse the gentleman that he may be properly attired for breakfast.

This was his life now. Tiring and strenuous, but at least he was free and Loki was by his side. That was all that really mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do realise that this is, like, the third thing I've written in the last six months where Loki has to change his name for some reason. Apparently this is a recurring theme for me. Oops.


	4. Chapter 4

The first month passed in a blur and Thor almost forgot that it was time for Loki's change until he literally growled at being woken up.

"So we'll go to the forest after dinner," Thor said brightly, acting as though he hadn't noticed since Loki seemed thoroughly mortified. "I'll spin some story, don't worry."

There were guests due for lunch in the middle of the day for him to deal with, carrying bowls of soup through with a cheerful smile. He briefly had to help with the carriage, which was in need of a slight repair, but between himself and Mr Selvig it didn't take long. Thor was becoming something of a dab hand with the hammer.

He was about to go inside to start on cleaning the rooms when he heard Miss Foster calling to him.

"I've had a delivery," she said. "And it's far too heavy for anyone else to carry. Please will you come and shift it for me?"

She was wearing a dark coat that toned nicely with her hair, and a matching bonnet. Her usual gloves had been replaced by rougher ones as she was also pushing a large wheelbarrow.

"Let me, Miss," Thor said, rushing to take the handles, pleased if a little surprised that she had use for him. Other than at meals, he barely saw her.

They walked down the street together, Miss Foster chatting vaguely about how she was sure the Post Office must be very busy since they hadn't sent out the mail coach to her. Thor waved as they passed the pawn shop, just in case Loki was looking.

Frowns greeted them as Miss Foster swept her way into the little office that served as the point of call for all their mail-related needs. Thor waited outside, guarding the wheelbarrow until he was ushered round the corner to the yard, a barrel being rolled towards them.

"...vital importance," Miss Foster was saying to an irate post master. "I have duly paid and I expect proper treatment."

"This is a ridiculous strain on our resources, paid or not. We will not accept this kind of thing again."

Thor stood by awkwardly while they disputed, shuffling his feet. He looked at the barrel a little once he'd lifted it, noting that its label had two large words, one of which began with T. Otherwise it was inscrutable to him.

Miss Foster seemed annoyed as they set off back down the road. Thor didn't know what to say, so kept his mouth shut until they reached the inn again.

"Shall I put it with the other wines, Miss?"

"What? Oh. No. No, it's not wine. It's to go in my study."

It was easy enough to roll it through to her private room, Thor's heart beating excitedly at the thought of getting to see inside.

It was supremely disappointing. The walls had brightly coloured posters on them, showing various men and women in beautiful clothes smiling at the viewer. Many of them also had a large cross through the middle of their faces. There were newspaper clippings covered in handwritten notes, which he couldn't hope to make sense of, and a desk covered in papers. It was just an office, nothing more sinister than that.

"Just put it in the corner," she said, picking up the metal poker from beside the room's tiny fire.

She strained to open the barrel with it, Thor standing dumb behind her to see that it was full of soil.

"Go on, then," she said. "I know you're dying to ask."

"Why have you got a barrel of earth, Miss?"

"It's for a special guest we'll be seeing next week. I take it Darcy didn't tell you about our little side project?"

"Er... No, Miss. She just said this room was private."

Miss Foster smiled as though about to reveal a great surprise.

"She does like to pretend it's all a big secret. But I trust you to be discreet. Tell me, Thor, what do you know about the supernatural?"

"The natural world?"

"No, the... Magic and monsters. Ghosts and spectres."

"A fair bit, Miss. Ghost stories were very popular back home."

"I don't simply run an inn here. I also invite people who claim to have special powers to visit so that I can test them. There is quite a market for disproving frauds. The articles I write on the subject bring in a lot of money."

Thor nodded vaguely. He wasn't quite sure why you would want to spoil the fun of ghost stories, but it wasn't up to him.

"So next week, a person with special power will come and you need the soil to test them?"

"Yes, precisely. We're going to be meeting a young woman who - among other things - says she feels such a connection to Transylvania that she can smell when someone has visited just from the pollen residue. We're going to see how well she does sniffing out fresh Transylvanian dirt."

"Pardon me for asking, Miss, but why do you want to prove her wrong? Surely it's not hurting anyone."

And now Miss Foster's eyes flashed angrily. Despite her diminuitive frame, Thor found himself almost afraid.

"Her work is dishonest and exploitative. These people lie and say that they can speak with the deceased, so people pay to hear from long-dead relatives. But it's all lies. And that is cruel, to prey on people's grief. Modern scientific methods can prove that they lie and I feel no guilt for exposing the truth. Each of these posters show a medium or psychic or witch or vampire that I have proven to be false."

Thor obediently looked at the pictures again.

"And these without the crosses?"

"I'm investigating them. That's why the room is locked. I don't want to risk any guests 'accidentally' wandering down here and discovering my current targets. Once I think I have a way to prove that they are frauds, I invite them here."

"And they come? Even though they know you will test them?"

"Of course. They all think they are clever enough that I won't be able to prove that they are liars. Hubris is a wonderful thing."

She ushered him out and locked the office door behind them.

"Lucas and I won't be here after dinner, Miss," he said. "We've heard of a house in the woods needing repaired and mean to take a look, thinking to make it habitable. I'll be back to work on time tomorrow, don't worry."

"We have no guests tonight. Your evening is your own. Take a blanket if you're staying up there though. It's still chilly."

"Thank you, Miss."

Loki came home from work slightly early, finishing his food very quickly. His eyes were wide and constantly shifting, like a great fear was upon him. Fortunately, no-one seemed to notice and soon enough they were outside in the fresh air.

"It's restless," Loki muttered. "It wants... Oh, so many things... How long before moonrise do you think?"

"Not very long. We'll make it, don't worry."

"Want to fuck you..."

Thor spluttered out a laugh, but Loki seemed deadly serious, hurrying through the woods to the little cottage. He was scrambling out of his clothes by the time Thor had the door bolted.

"We can't, Loki. We don't have any oil."

Loki growled and produced a jar of duck fat from his pockets and a long, black ribbon.

"Please," he said. "Please, I need it."

Thor sighed and started to undress. In truth he had missed the feeling of Loki moving inside him. They had stuck to using their mouths to save on cleaning up. His body was reacting to the idea, especially when Loki was burying his nose in his hair, fingers digging into hips and little licking kisses peppering his neck.

The earth was uncomfortable against his back as he prepared himself, the cool air making him shiver. Loki whined impatiently, body shaking with excitement.

He growled happily when Thor pushed himself onto all fours, presenting his entrance for fucking. 

"Go on, then, you insatiable beast," he teased. "Give it to me all rough like you want to."

Loki didn't need to be told twice, instinct taking over. Thor had to help him line up, but was soon crying out as he was stretched and filled for the first time in far too long.

"Thor..."

It hurt to begin with, Loki's lack of control meaning he started moving too soon and too quickly, shallow little thrusts that had Thor groaning through the burn.

His body gradually grew used to the intrusion and he started to buck backwards into each shove forward, angling his hips to make the head of Loki's cock catch his prostate.

"I can take it harder," he said. "Come on, fuck me harder."

A snarl and Loki started to pound him, nails digging in hard enough to leave bruises, their sweating skin slapping together in a steadily increasing tempo.

Isolated as they were, Thor didn't try to hold back his moans and it seemed to only spur Loki on, little growls escaping his throat as he claimed his mate.

"Close?" he managed to ask and Thor nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, m'close. Just need to touch myself and I'll come. You want me to? Want me to use my hand, make myself clench?"

He took the growl as a yes, supporting his weight on one arm as he reached for his leaking cock, feeling Loki twitch within him.

It was a breathless thing, the air knocked from his lungs by Loki's relentless thrusts, letting out a long cry as he made his orgasm last. He felt Loki spill deep inside him, the wolf part of his head wanting to breed and fill Thor up, whimpering slightly as he pulled out.

"Tie," he said, holding his arms together. "Tie, tie."

Thor realised what the ribbon was for and set about lashing his wrists to one another. 

"Legs..." Loki said, and Thor duly attached his ankles, leaving a long slack between the two knots.

He'd never seen Loki transform before and was a little nervous about it. By the look of him, Loki wasn't best pleased either, his eyes flicking around the room.

Thor sat down in the opposite corner, ready to watch and ready to run as Loki's body started to shake.


	5. Chapter 5

His eyes were the first thing to change, the irises expanding to completely blank out the white. His ears twisted and moved, his skull changed shape, jaw lengthening and teeth sharpening.

His spine arched, hands and feet shrinking even as some of the bones elongated and the nails became claws.

The was an almighty crack as his joints snapped backwards, his knees twisting the wrong way.

And finally, the hair. All over, lengthening, until where Loki had been was unmistakably a large, black wolf.

And he'd been quiet all the while. Thor had expected him to be in pain, to scream and cry, but he had merely groaned a little. And now his damp little nose was twitching, examining his surroundings. Like he was waking up.

He caught sight of Thor and whined, trying to get up but impeded by his bound limbs. He snarled and began to struggle.

"Hey," Thor said, getting up to approach. "Wolf, hey..."

He held out his hand to be sniffed, a rough pink tongue peeking out to lick him.

"It's fine, wolf. Just go to sleep."

More whining.

"Ssh, ssh, I'm right here. I'll be right next to you." 

He lay down, covering himself with the borrowed blanket. He had to admit that he was tired and sleep was already tugging at the edges of his consciousness.

Loki was trying to shuffle closer and making sad little noises until Thor rolled over and covered him too, thinking he might be cold.

In fact, Loki seemed to just want him close and licked along the line of his jaw the second he was near enough.

"All right. I know you love me. That kind of thing is a lot nicer when you have a person face though. Just go to sleep."

Bound paws batted at him until he took hold of them in one hand. Only then did it seem that Loki was willing to sleep.

Thor woke up to him struggling to get out of the cottage. He was humanoid again, and had managed to untie his ankles but even opposable thumbs didn't help with the binding around his wrists.

"Where are you going?"

"Got to pee. And want to drink."

Thor forced himself to get up and undo the ribbon, shivering a little under the blanket. Dawn had broken, so they didn't have long before they were expected back. He could still lie down for a little while though.

He was dozing again when Loki came back, snuggling in beside him.

"So a ribbon, huh?"

"Oh. Yes. I bought it during the midday pause. I thought it would be softer than rope. Of course, Miss Potts believes that I've found a sweetheart already, and one in mourning at that. And who... Needed duck fat for some reason."

Thor laughed helplessly as Loki smiled fondly at him.

"Thank you," he said softly. "For looking after us."

"Us?"

"Me and the beast. It's glad that you're not scared of it. It feels loved and happy. And aroused."

Thor burst out laughing again. "Well, I love it as an extension of you, but I draw the line at doing anything sexual with it. I know it's you underneath, but still. It's too weird. Too many legs."

Loki shuffled closer and kissed him at the junction between his neck and shoulder.

"I wouldn't ask you to. Doesn't mean my blood isn't stirred by its influence."

"Well, we have the time, as long as you're gentle. I'm probably still open from last night. Put the blanket out of harm's way and we can..."

"Are you sure?"

"Get in me, Loki."

He loved being taken hard and fast, but he loved having his legs wrapped around Loki's waist and kissing the moans from each other's lips too. He had to use the edge of the flour sack to clean himself afterwards, but it was worth it and they returned to the town pleased with their successful first transformation in their new home.

And having learned the secret of the basement, Thor was keen to seek Loki's opinion and knowledge about the supernatural.

"Ever heard of somewhere called Transylvania?"

"It's a region of Romania, I think. Eastwards. Why?"

"Miss Foster is going to disprove the supernatural with modern scientific methods."

Loki laughed. "All right, darling, I'm sure those two sentences make perfect sense to you in that order, but I'm a little lost."

Thor tried to explain what he could about the barrel of soil and the posters and the young woman coming to be tested.

"It seems Miss Foster is quite the skeptic," Loki said. "And I don't blame her, I must admit. I just wonder how she'd react to knowing what I am."

Thor frowned. "But you're... The curse is real."

"I severely doubt Miss Foster would believe so, even if she saw me shift with her own eyes. She'd say it was a clever trick done with mirrors and slight of hand, making it seem as though I became a wolf when really there was merely a large dog and some jolly interesting optical illusions. Still, I applaud her efforts at unmasking charlatans."

"Do you truly think she would not believe?"

A smile. "You don't hear as much as I do, being in the inn all day. But Miss Potts has been here for some years and says that Miss Foster is a lady of reason. She made her name disproving famous psychics and inherited money so she could afford to buy the inn to help finance her experiments. She is remarkable in many ways, but I fear not very malleable."

"I'm sure that she is malleable enough for anything."

"Do you even know what that means?"

He laughed at Thor's pout, pulling him behind the last tree in the forest to kiss it from his lips.

"I'm sorry. It's wrong to tease you. It means flexible, bendable..."

"You think me stupid because I do not know long words and I cannot read."

The mirth vanished from Loki's face.

"I know you are not stupid," he said softly. "You were never taught. That's hardly your fault."

Thor refused to meet his gaze and he sighed heavily.

"Would you like to learn to read? I could teach you, or try at least."

"Yes. I would like that."

After he'd finished work, Loki sat down with him to make a first attempt at a lesson. The alphabet. He taught it in a song to make it easier to remember.

"And it's always in that order. That's important if you want to find something in a book."

Thor frowned. "Why? Can it not be 'tuh-wuh-kuh' instead of 'tuh-uh-vuh'?"

"Because that's how it is. I don't know. Now, lower case letters..."

Thor went to sleep that night with the song echoing around his brain.


	6. Chapter 6

"Buh-eh-eh-ruh..." Thor mumbled to himself. "But two eh's make an ee, so... Buh-ee-ruh. Beer. Beer, it says beer!"

"Yeah, it does!" Darcy said encouragingly from in front of the stove. 

It had been a nearly a month and a half since he'd started learning his letters. He had a long way to go, he knew, but letters meant something now. They made sounds in his head. It was like magic.

He loved to read anything that came into the kitchen and Darcy was glad to indulge his new obsession.

"Kuh-huh-ah-tuh-eh-ah-oo. Chat-eh-ah-oo?"

"Hmm? Oh, 'chateau'. It's French."

"What does it mean?"

"Like... Big house, I guess. Castle. It's the name of the wine, Chateau de Bois. See here, 'vin'. Wine. Like vine."

Thor looked doubtfully at 'buh-o-ih-suh'. It clearly said 'boys' not 'bwa'. The more he knew of language, the more he questioned its utter lack of logic. The letters seemed to make all manners of noises in different combinations and there weren't any rules that he could identify that were always true.

"Here," Darcy said, handing him a label. "Try this. It's tricky."

He took him time, sounding out the letters.

"What noise is a cross?"

"An X? Yeah, they're quite rare. It's like a kuh and a suh together."

"Macksymof."

"Maximoff, yeah. Well done."

"What does it mean?"

"It's a name. Mr Pietro and Miss Wanda Maximoff. They are to be Miss Foster's new special guests."

Ah, special guests. That meant they were to be tested. The woman who claimed such knowledge of Transylvanian pollen had quit the house in a rage after Miss Foster had proven that she could not tell the difference between two pots of soil.

"Who are they?" he asked. "What can they do?"

"Well, by all accounts, Mr Pietro is handsome and quick-witted and without a single word of English, but it's Miss Wanda who is of interest to us. She volunteered to come here. Not our usual sort at all. She is a mind reader."

"Truly? Wow."

"Well, not _truly_ , of course. It's just a trick. She knows how to read people and deduces from there. A skill, certainly, but not a power. Mind readers are no more real than ghosts or witches or werewolves."

Thor frowned. "Werewolves are real, though."

Darcy giggled.

"Oh, Thor. You're so funny."

He blinked and shrugged.

"So they arrive soon, these Maximoffs?"

"Not for another three weeks, but I need extra time to prepare and order supplies for them. They are Jewish, you see, so there are foods they cannot eat and meat must be slaughtered in a particular way. Brace yourself, there will be no bacon while they are here."

"Oh, Lucas will be most upset. You know how much he loves that at breakfast."

"Anything to get some meat on those bones. Anyone would think he was running around all night as well as all day."

Thor smiled at her. He had taken over the bedclothes laundry, so he and Loki no longer worried about stains. They were not energetic, mutual exhaustion preventing that, but they tried their best to find the time to be intimate with each other, lazily grinding and stroking, little gentle gasps against skin and warm kisses always.

"How are the house repairs going?" Darcy asked.

Ah, yes. Worried that the cycle of the moon was too obvious a routine, even in a house of skeptics, Loki insisted that they visit the cottage any time they were both free and actually carry out repairs. This was mainly on Sundays after church, when no-one travelled and Mr Selvig was willing to lend them the tools.

Already they had repaired the waterbutt and boarded the breaks in the windows and whitewashed the walls. With the flowers of spring starting to open, it was becoming beautiful. And, of course, it was wonderful to recite his alphabet and scratch simple words in the earth with a stick and be rewarded with kisses and caresses when he got it right.

He couldn't wait for summer to arrive, dreaming of long, hot days in fragrant air, dipping in and out of the river to chase fish, having Loki take him out in the open beneath the stars on warm, clear evenings.

His dreams were interrupted only a week before the Maximoff's arrival when Darcy sent him to the Post Office with orders for unusual ingredients to better welcome their foreign guests.After all, she said, there was no reason not to be accommodating, even if it disrupted their routines a little..

"While you're here, take this. A note for Miss Foster," the postman said. "It's being sent to all the inns in the county."

Thor took the piece of paper and faltered. He knew some of these words.

Most importantly, he recognised the one that said 'Loki'.

It was a split-second decision to run through the town to the pawn shop, rushing inside only to be faced with a large tin man.

It whirred a little, doffing its metal cap to him.

"Lucas? Miss Potts?"

An unfamiliar moustachioed man stepped out from behind the machine.

"Aren't you going to respond to my greeting?"

Thor stared at him for a moment and glanced back to the metal man. He felt ridiculous bowing to it, but did so anyway.

"Good day, sir. I need to see Mr Argento."

"Well, I'm afraid he's not here. Out at a house clearing with Miss Potts, not expected back till this evening. Are you the cousin?"

"Yes. Thor Odinson, sir."

"Anthony Stark. Automatons and machinery repairs. Don't worry, I'll make sure he hurries home."

Thor had stuffed the piece of paper into his pocket and rushed back to examine it in a corner of the yard.

It was so complicated. So full of long words that meant nothing to him even when he'd sounded them out.

"Seeking informatt-i-on... perta-ayning to the... where abouts of Loki Laufeyson, missing these last months. Long, dark ha-eer, green eh-yuh-ehs, arm-ed and danggeroos... Reward offer-ed."

By the time Loki came home, concerned to know what had brought Thor running in the middle of the day, he was beside himself with fear, able to do nothing until they were alone.

He thrust the paper into Loki's hands, envious of how quickly his eyes flicked back and forth over it.

"It's my father. He expected me to kill you and then crawl home with my tail between my legs. Literally. He's trying to have me arrested."

"Why? You haven't done anything wrong."

"I assume your murder, hence the 'armed and dangerous'. But in terms of real crimes, let's see, fraud, poaching probably, our relationship, seeking employment under false pretenses, trespass... There's a lot to pin on me, potentially."

"What are we going to do?"

"Well... Miss Foster hasn't seen this, so we keep it hidden. And it's just a description, so I should try not to match it. Go to the kitchen and borrow the herb scissors. My hair is too dark to dye, but I can at least get rid of some of it."

It was a butchering. Thor loved Loki's hair and was rather upset to be charged with hacking it off handful by handful. The silky strands slipped through his fingers.

"Easier to keep clean anyway," Loki sniffed.

That night he hid his face in Thor's shoulder, pretending he wasn't crying. Thor pretended not to notice.


	7. Chapter 7

Thor spent the week deeply paranoid, insisting that Loki be extra careful when out and about and not linger in getting from the inn to the pawn shop and back in case he was noticed and suspected.

Any new visitor could have been a spy for Laufey. Any noise in the night was surely soldiers or constables coming for them. And it wasn't just himself and Loki he was scared for - the scandal would also affect Miss Foster and Miss Potts, even though they were just kind women who had been taken in by their lies.

His lies, he kept reminding himself. He had orchestrated their arrival without even thinking that Laufey would try to discover the whereabouts of his son. He couldn't help feeling stupid and naive to think that they could escape so easily.

Even the monthly proper trip to the isolation of the cottage didn't help much. Loki's wolf form seemed distressed, whining loudly and insisting on being petted. Thor wasn't sure if it was picking up on his mood or if it was upset to find its usual tufts of head hair clipped off.

Sex had also lost its normal soothing abilities, enabling him to be momentarily calmed but all too soon his worries would come rushing back. And he was loathe to share his concerns and fears with Loki. He would surely be scared enough.

By the time the Maximoffs arrived, very handsome both as they spoke quietly together in their own language, he was a wreck.

He almost leapt out of his skin when Miss Foster appeared in the kitchen without warning.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to frighten you. I thought you heard me. Miss Maximoff is keen to demonstrate her talents and I wondered if yourself and Mr Argento would care to join us. The more people the better, apparently. And you can help me too. Be observant of them both, see if there is some sort of code between them."

In truth, he was equal parts afraid of and fascinated by the idea of having his mind read - curious to know if such a thing were possible, but worried about what she might find.

They ended up being six in total; himself and Loki, Mr Selvig, Miss Foster, Darcy and the Maximoff twins. His nerves were a little on edge and he fidgeted as they sat together in a circle.

"Just a few questions before we start," Miss Foster said, taking up a small ledger and pen, Darcy holding the inkwell within easy reach. "How long have your powers manifested?"

"Since childhood," Miss Maximoff replied in a gentle voice with steel behind it. "I was able to detect liars when they came to do business with our father."

"And what form do your readings take? Do you hear thoughts or see things...?"

"Both. Sometimes I simply feel with the person. It is difficult to explain. Like an extreme empathy."

"Hmm..."

Her pen scratched busily and Thor wished he was close enough to see her form the letters. Everyone seemed to have great aptitude for writing that he did not yet possess and seeing the grace of the moving pen was bewitching to him.

"All right. Begin the demonstration whenever you are ready."

"What would you like me to read?"

"Well, I don't believe we have too many dark secrets, but just surface level things for now. If you are successful, maybe we can go further. Feel free to amaze us."

Miss Maximoff smiled pleasantly, shrugging off Miss Foster's slightly rude tone. She wasn't nearly as spooky as Thor had expected. Her dark hair and strong features gave her a striking appearance, but not a fearful one.

"You," she said, pointing to Mr Selvig. "Erik. You were once an academic man. And now you play the simple ostler as part of Miss Foster's tests, lulling the frauds into a false sense of security so they will trip. You see more than you seem to, always looking, always noticing the details. This simple man is a mere act, hiding the intelligence within."

She continued around the circle in this way.

"Miss Darcy Lewis. Not a fallen woman despite your reputation in your home town. Miss Foster rescued you from lies and slander and gave you a new life, though you have always been close to her. Miss Jane Foster. Heiress. And almost all spent on disproving liars. A righteous crusade. And you already have a collection of explanations for my skills from pre-arranged research to...cold reading? I confess I do not know this term yet, but I am sure you will enlighten me. Ah, I see. You think I can guess from appearance and reaction. Interesting."

Thor almost held his breath, trying not to worry as she turned to himself and Loki. A trick it might be, but a very convincing one.

"You fear me," she said, frowning slightly. "Please, don't worry. You are Thor Odinson. Orphan. Left service in...distress. Hunted. But for no crime. Happy now. So very happy and full of love for..."

Her large brown eyes fell on Loki and she gasped sharply, one hand scrabbling for her brother as she yelled in distress, something Thor couldn't understand.

Despite himself, Thor stayed calm.

 _Safe!_ he thought loudly, trying to convey it to her. _Not dangerous. Safe, safe, safe._

She looked to him and he smiled encouragingly. _Safe, safe. I swear._

She looked back to Loki and swallowed hard.

"Your mind is clouded, sir," she said shakily. "I cannot read it now. I am too tired from travelling. I am sorry."

Thor distinctly heard Miss Foster snort a little, but was more concerned with Loki's forcibly calm breathing next to him and his falteringly polite excusing of himself to go to bed.

"Does she know?" Thor asked in the privacy of their room. "Could she tell?"

"I think so. Her reactions certainly suggest that she could. It seems Miss Maximoff is no fraud. I shouldn't be surprised, since I exist, but I hadn't expected a real mind reader."

"What are we going to do?"

Loki sighed. "I'm not quite sure. Just try not to think of the hefty reward out on my head, I suppose. She hasn't immediately fled to report me. That may be a good sign. Be hopeful, Thor, please. I can't stand having you so tense."

Thor found himself lying awake long after Loki's breathing had calmed into the long breaths of sleep, wondering what bribe or promise or even threat could convince Miss Maximoff to not reveal what she knew.


	8. Chapter 8

Darcy came and woke him early, finding him bleary-eyed and heavy with worry.

"Miss Maximoff is asking to see you," she whispered. "Alone."

"Alone?"

"Well, her brother will chaperone. Come on. She's being most insistent."

Thor smoothed a hand over Loki's head, still slumbering though their discussion, smiling sadly as he sighed unconsciously, and followed Darcy out on tiptoe.

"Why me?" he asked.

"I don't know. She says it's private. Presumably she saw something of interest in your miiiiind."

She accompanied the last which waves of her arms and Thor forced himself to smile. He ought to be grateful that the Maximoffs intended to speak to him and not immediately have Loki arrested. Even if they wished to extort money from him, it was better than having the police at the door.

He felt very exposed, still in his nightshirt as he was ushered into the little dining room and fixed by twin stares.

"You know why you're here," Miss Maximoff said. It was not a question, but a statement. "I'm sorry for the distress."

Thor let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It certainly didn't sound as though she planned to expose them.

"You're wondering what we might want in exchange for keeping the secrets. Don't worry. I felt the terror in your minds. No reward would make us betray you."

"Why?" Thor blurted. "I mean. I would understand if you did..."

"Your lover is not the only person to have to live with with the mantle 'monster'. Men and women are so frightened when their truths can be read, and fear makes them cruel. Once our father had passed away, they called me a witch and a demon, possessed by dark forces, said that I was Lilith reborn to lead them into destruction. I am not here to prove Miss Foster wrong. I am here to admit to her that my talents are a trick. A trick whose workings I shall not reveal."

Thor frowned. "But they're not. You saw into our minds, you saw the wolf in Loki. You heard me crying out that he was safe to be near."

"Yes. Exposing him would be very dangerous for you both. Likewise, my life is dangerous. If I can have the great Miss Foster say that I am a harmless parlour attraction, I will be safe from those who call me evil, but I will still make a living as people try to guess how it's done. Besides, Miss Foster respects me."

"But she hates all psychics."

"Ah, yes. And what a sad tale her obsession is. But I am no medium through whom the dead seem to speak. I see the present and the past, not the future and certainly not the wishes of the deceased. I do not steal from the grieving, I simply amaze. It is a grudging respect, but there nonetheless. But anyway, you needn't worry. Please believe that we will not reveal your secrets. Any of them."

"Even... Even what we... The true nature of our relationship?"

She shrugged. "You share love with another person. What is wrong with that? Believe me, I cherish such things. You have no idea how exhausting it is to know the secret horrors of the world. The men who want to hurt their wives, the women who want to poison their parents, the people who want to steal and harm and kill... It is pleasant to soak up such warm feelings as yours once in a while. But that is not the main reason I wished to speak to you."

The fear came back over Thor, creeping down his spine.

"What is it?"

She sighed.

"I do not probe into the minds of strangers. I do not believe it is my right. But I do hear surface thoughts as people pass me by. I cannot help it. It's like hearing scraps of conversation. On our way to meet with Miss Foster, I heard the name 'Loki Laufeyson' several times, linked with various possible places he could be hiding. They are coming for him."

"When? When will they come?"

"I cannot tell. I can only report. But I have advice. Ask Miss Foster for help. She is fond of you and a good woman. Tell her a story, not the whole truth. One of the horrors I saw in his mind. Tell her that you had to leave the cruelty of the big house, for his safety. She may protect you."

"She may not."

"Yes. But you should do it before it's too late."

When Thor finally decided to speak with Miss Foster, he found the decision had been made for him.

It was several days later as he was going about his duties that she called him into her office, frowning and clearly concerned.

"Thor, I didn't want to do this in front of everyone, but I have received something very troubling in the post today."

She handed him a piece of paper. It was not a good likeness of Loki, but Thor recognised him nonetheless.

His eyes flicked over the reward figure, many more zeroes in it now, and the paragraph below the image. 

_Wanted..._

_Dangerous..._

_Murder..._

"Saddest?" he asked, pointing.

"Sadist. It's...someone who enjoys inflicting pain on others. Is it true, Thor? Is Lucas this person?"

Thor let out a shaking breath. Miss Maximoff had said that he could trust Miss Foster so he would have to.

"He is Loki Laufeyson, yes. But these crimes are lies. He and I fled his father's house together and now they are inventing ill deeds to drag him back."

Her frown had softened slightly.

"Why did you flee?"

"Baron Laufey... He is cruel to Loki, beats him and locks him up in a small room where none may see him. He has always been so. I became Loki's manservant and we became close. When Laufey discovered our... friendship, he banished me, leaving me to the mercy of winter. Loki came with me, ran away. We were out there for some days before we came here, looking for a new life. We had only the clothes on our back. Loki not even that."

He hadn't meant to say that. She stared at him in confusion.

"What? He was outside in winter without clothing? Why? And how in the world did he survive?"

Thor hesitated.

"Thor, it is important that I understand everything if I am going to help you."

He took a deep breath.

"Loki carries the curse. He is a werewolf, Miss. Laufey set him loose on the full moon in an attempt to kill me."

He couldn't bear the sudden pity in her eyes.

"No. Werewolves do not exist. They are a mere story, used to explain illnesses and violence. I understand, Thor. Lucas... Loki, is an educated man, a convincing person, in a position of authority over you. He has told you falsehoods, taken advantage of your trusting nature."

"Miss, I understand why you think that, but I swear..."

"Did he use this excuse to explain his crimes? Did he say the wolf did it?"

"He has committed no crimes! I promise you, he is a werewolf."

"Thor..."

"Come to the cottage in three days' time. The full moon. You will see, he is as I have said. I know. I have seen him change."

"There are many ways to fool the senses, Thor."

But she agreed to wait and see for herself.

Thor felt sick as he directed her to the cottage with careful instructions to stay outside and not reveal herself unless he gave a signal.

He was almost certainly putting her in danger.


	9. Chapter 9

He tried to hide his nerves, but there was no point. He was distracted and restless.

"What's wrong with you?" Loki asked once they were in sight of the cottage after a silent walk.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Thor. You _reek_ of fear. And... And something else..."

He sniffed hard at Thor's neck, fingers digging into his shoulders as Thor tried to open the door.

Loki narrowed his eyes.

"I smell Miss Foster. You and she aren't... Is that why you're scared? Because you and she are lovers? You've been unfaithful, is that it?"

"No," Thor laughed, genuinely surprised at such an assumption. "No, of course I haven't. Don't be ridiculous."

"I've seen the way you look at her. You clearly find her attractive."

"Even if I do, that doesn't mean that we... I mean, think about it. It would never happen. For God's sake, Loki, I am her servant."

A growl. "You were _my_ servant once. Is that what you like, then? You want to be bossed around? Told what to do? You want me to be your master again? Very well. Kneel for me. On your knees, now."

Thor panicked. Miss Foster was watching, he couldn't do this, not tonight...

"This isn't you talking. It's the wolf. We haven't time, give me your hands."

"Kneel."

"No!"

Loki snarled at him.

"Give me your mouth, Thor."

"Not tonight. I'm serious."

"Why not?"

"Because. We're late. The moon will be up soon. Take off your clothes before you change."

Loki continued grumbling as he unbuttoned, folding his clothes into his usual neat pile. His hand shot up to grip Thor by the chin when he tried to attach the ribbon.

"Something is wrong tonight. I feel it. What are you hiding, Thor? Why won't you lie with me?"

"I'm not in the right mood."

"No, I can smell that. But you are always in the right mood, as it were, and so I wonder what has changed to make you..."

Thor didn't hear whatever sound made Loki turn, but his head suddenly jerked towards the window, snarling. He was outside in an instant even as Thor tried to hold him back, begging him to stay inside and submit to the ties.

Miss Foster was trembling, back to the wall of the cottage as Loki stood naked and uncertain, staring at her in horror.

"What's she doing here?"

"I can explain, Loki, I swear..." Thor began, but too late.

Loki fell forward onto his hands and knees, body jerking as the transformation came upon him. Thor daren't touch or try to restrain him, just circled to place himself in front of Miss Foster, shielding her.

The snaps of bones changing and joints twisting echoed around them, accompanied only by shaking breathing.

And then the beast rose, growling, teeth bared and shining.

"Loki, I'm sorry..."

A harsh sound, something deeply unpleasant, like the creature was trying to curse at him.

"Wolf," Thor tried, a different approach. "It's me, wolf. Come here, come back inside..."

He stepped forwards, hand outstretched, meaning to touch and soothe.

Instead, he found himself knocked to the ground, Loki's full weight upon him, snarling in his face. Thor swallowed hard, turning his head to the side, displaying his throat in submission.

He felt the prick of sharp teeth pressing against his neck, just in warning for now, and whimpered slightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry..."

The expected bite never came. The wolf seemed calmed by his display, lessening the pressure. It even allowed Thor to touch it again, long strokes down its side.

He felt the growl vibrating against his chest when he moved his hand to one of the beast's legs.

"You know I have to do this..."

Further growling and Loki leapt out of his grasp.

"Hey! Stay still..."

He made a grab for Loki's tail, barely touching it before pain shot up his left arm.

Loki had bitten him, teeth sinking into the flesh of his forearm. He cried out in shock as much as hurt and Loki whined as though terrified, backing away from him, eyes so wide that the whites were visible.

"It's all right," Thor said through gritted teeth, trying to stem the flow of blood with his hand. "An accident. You didn't mean to..."

But Loki had already turned tail and fled into the forest, deaf to Thor's cries and pleas.

He tried to stumble after him, but the wolf was too quick, bounding away into the woods. Thor cried out in despair, almost a howl of his own.

"Thor..." he heard Miss Foster say very softly. "Thor, your arm."

"It's nothing. I have to go after him."

"You need a doctor. You're bleeding."

He glanced down, the blood covering his hand and spreading rapidly on his shirt.

"Come home and be bandaged and we will come back and look for... Loki in the morning."

Thor felt tears in his eyes.

"I should have told him," he said wretchedly. "I should have told him of the danger and why I had to do this, to show you. Now he thinks I have betrayed him in all kinds of ways..."

She managed to lead him back towards the town, tears falling freely from his eyes.

"You and he, you are... lovers, then."

"I'm sorry. I lied to you. I had to."

"You didn't seem... I mean, you acted as though you were unwilling to..."

"I merely wished to avoid making you see such an act. I thought you would be disgusted."

"I'm sure I would have been, especially with you so clearly refusing."

"I realise how it seemed, but he would never, has never, made me do anything I did not want to. He was angry. He could tell I was hiding something. He is normally very loving and I... I enjoy what we do very much."

His face was burning and they said nothing more until they reached the doctor's house.

A dog bite, they said. He'd been bitten by a large dog. There wasn't much to be done except clean and dress the wound and send Thor home with a terrible ache in his heart that was easily worse than his physical pain.


	10. Chapter 10

It was awful for Thor to wake alone in their room, his arm throbbing with pain. His eyes ached from crying and he'd had precious little sleep, staying up, hoping to hear scratching at the door or at least a howl out in the woods. But there was nothing.

"I think we need to talk, as a household," Miss Foster said at breakfast while he picked at his porridge. "You may have noticed that Mr Argento is not with us. Thor, please will you tell the others what you told me last week. All of it."

He didn't want to be put on the spot, but it was his story to tell so he sighed heavily and began.

"Lucas' real name is Loki Laufeyson. He is the son of a baron, from somewhere east of here. I was his manservant, a general member of staff. But Loki and I...developed a close relationship. He carries the curse, the... He is a werewolf. When his father found out about us, he threw me from the house on the night of the full moon and set Loki loose to... hunt me. To kill me. But he did not and so we fled together and came here. But his father is trying to find him and accusing him of the most awful crimes and so I tried to prove to Miss Foster that he really is a werewolf, but he ran away and... And now he's out there, alone and... and cold and afraid and it's all my fault..."

There was an awkward pause, possibly caused by his emotional state. Darcy looked away from everyone and Miss Foster concentrated hard on her food.

"You can't possibly believe this, Jane?" Mr Selvig said, the only one of them not looking away. "Lycanthropy? Really? It's been disproved a hundred times."

She looked at him coolly, a steady gaze.

"Erik, last night I saw a man become a wolf in front of my very eyes. I'm not sure what I believe right now."

"Senses can be fooled. Hallucinations are very easy to produce with the right chemicals..."

"Thor, show him your arm."

The wound was still raw and painful beneath his bandages, slightly swollen, but clearly the teethmarks of a large beast with a strong jaw.

"If... If he bit you," Darcy said carefully. "And he's a werewolf, doesn't that mean you're... You have it now? The curse? Isn't that how it spreads?"

"It's a myth!" Mr Selvig said firmly. "It's impossible. That's a dog bite and nothing more. He keeps a dangerous animal up there in those woods, that's what you've seen."

"Miss Maximoff might be able to tell," Thor said quietly. "She felt the wolf in Loki's mind. That's what scared her so."

"Oh, and now the girl has real powers. Jane, please. Think of your father."

Miss Foster was frowning.

"Darcy, visit Miss Potts. Tell her Mr Argento is sick and cannot perform his duties at present. I will fetch Miss Maximoff and..."

"No need," came a voice from the doorway. "I am here. I felt the call."

Her eyes settled on Thor, instantly filling with tears as she absorbed his desolation, her brother making vaguely soothing noises.

"I cannot feel a wolf in you," she said. "But your mind, it feels... different. Changed. You are certainly not as you were. It is perhaps the curse taking hold."

"So, what?" Thor asked. "I wait for the next full moon and find out?"

"I think you will have to."

"What of Loki? Can you feel him? Is he safe?"

She glanced around nervously.

"I... I am not used to trying to read over distance. But his mind is unusual. I will try to seek him out."

Her brother held her hand as she closed her eyes, reaching out into the forest. A few minutes of silence passed and Thor began to lose hope. Then she gasped violently, head jerking.

"I have him," she breathed.

"Where is he? Is he safe?"

"Woods. All looks the same, woods. Angry, so angry, betrayed. Fear. Guilt. Regret. He eats... He eats raw flesh."

Thor's stomach rolled. "Not human?"

"Deer. Young deer. He... Despair, despondency. Er... Not hatred. The word hate but not the feeling."

"What does that mean?"

"He wants to hate you but cannot. He rages against his heart. He feels intense fear for having bitten you, but the beast... Oh, the beast is glad. The beast rejoices to have a mate of its kind."

Thor shifted uncomfortably. He had not meant for the extent of their relationship to become known, especially not to Mr Selvig.

"Should I go after him?"

Her eyes flickered open.

"Not yet. He is too angry."

Thor drummed the fingers of his injured arm against the table.

"I will write to him and leave it at the cottage. He will smell me coming this close to the moon anyway and hide."

"Would you like me to write for you?" Miss Foster asked. "You could dictate to me what you want to say."

"You are very kind, but I think it should come straight from my heart to the page, spelling errors and all."

She brought him a pen and ink and paper to write on before leaving him in peace, asking to see Mr Selvig in her office very pointedly.

The blank sheet stared at him as he gripped the pen, making squiggly letters across the page.

_My deerist Loki,_

_I am so soree for wat happend. Yor father is looking for you and I told Miss Foster abowt leeving the big howse._

_I did not meen to tell her abowt the kurs, I swayer, it was an acsident. She did not beleev and so I shoed her._

_I shood hav toled you. I am so soree._

_Plees cum home. I luv you with oll my hart._

_Thor_

The cottage was cold and empty, but Loki's clothes were gone. Thor took that as a good sign, no matter that they might have been stolen. He would rather believe that Loki had been back for them and that he was still nearby, not moving on to another town and then another and another.

He placed the letter very obviously under a stone and sadly returned to the inn.


	11. Chapter 11

It was ten days before he saw Loki again.

On the first, he returned to the cottage with a small loaf of bread and a little cheese that he'd bought in the town.

His letter had been ripped to shreds, scattered everywhere. At least it had been done by human hands. He just hoped Loki had read it first. He left the food in an obvious place on one of the window ledges.

It was gone on the second day. He'd half expected to find it torn and rejected. But then again, Loki must be hungry out here.

He spent a week bringing little gifts of food and more notes in his scribbled handwriting.

_I miss you._

_Plees cum home._

_I luv you._

_I need you._

They all vanished, but there was still no other signs of life.

On the eighth day, he woke in a scream of colours and sounds, the world swirling and blazing around him. Everything hurt and he felt trapped, held down by some invisible force.

Faces loomed at him out of the mass of shifting shapes, some familiar, some not. Voices echoed horribly around him.

"Thor..." he heard Miss Foster distantly. "Don't move. You're sick. You need to rest."

"Loki?"

"He's not here right now."

"Need to... Need to write to him..."

"You need to rest."

He whined and complained. He had been physically strong for his entire life and now he was reduced to this pitiful state. It almost pained him more than the illness.

The doctor was like a monster from his childhood, letting out terrible noises and making him hurt even worse, the sickly smells of poultices and elixirs clogging his brain.

It was his arm, he understood vaguely. The bite was infected and had given him a fever. He would recover, they thought.

But if Loki wouldn't come back to him, then maybe he didn't want to recover.

Darcy and Miss Foster moved around him like ghosts, flitting in and out of sight, making him drink and eat and checking his general state.

More than once, he scared Darcy by suddenly gripping her arm, mistaking her dark hair for Loki's, forgetting that they had chopped his off.

Sometimes Miss Maximoff would sneak in an whisper that she still felt Loki near, that he must be strong and recover, that Loki missed him and she sensed it. 

When he first saw Loki's face, tried and pale, he didn't believe it. He daren't believe that Loki was really with him. Even reaching out and having his hand grasped in the most familiar way didn't convince him, his grip slackening as sleep took him again.

On the morning his fever finally broke, Loki wasn't sitting next to him. Of course not.

Thor was overjoyed to see him sleeping in his old bed again though.

He forced himself upright, muscles aching and protesting this sudden movement and stumbled across the floor, falling onto the mattress.

"What the...?" Loki jerked awake. "Oh, no, you don't. Back to bed, you great lump..."

"No, I need to be in your bed."

"Move. I'll come and get in next to you, I promise."

Tottering back, Thor couldn't shift the grin from his face, scooping Loki into his arms like the bite didn't hurt at all.

"You're back."

"Indeed. Miss Foster wrote me a letter explaining that you were very ill and asking for me. I didn't believe her at first, thought you were trying to trick me into coming back. But when you didn't visit for two days, I decided to check and... Well, here you are."

He seemed stand-offish, even though he was submitting to Thor's embrace and petting. There were still issues needing resolved between them.

"I'm sorry," Thor mumbled. "I should have spoken to you."

"Yes, you should. Miss Foster has filled me in on events. She seems satisfied that our accounts of fleeing the big house are the same."

"I'm sorry..."

"Yes, so I have gathered."

"Are you very cross with me?"

Loki sighed heavily.

"It's difficult to remain angry with someone reduced to the state of a drunken kitten. If I hadn't been so worried I'd have been quite charmed by the way you tried to call for me and flailed around to find my hand. But I'm doing my best to stay enraged. You should rest some more. I'll get you something from the kitchen."

"No, stay with me. Stay here."

There was a certain amount of huffing, but he stayed, Thor nuzzling into his scalp.

"I'm... I'm so scared, Thor. I bit you."

"I am well. Don't worry. It's all right."

"No, it's not. What if... What if I gave it to you? What if I cursed you?"

"You've had it your whole life and you're fine. We'll get through it together."

"You don't understand. You don't know what it means, what it's like to be this way."

"What way?"

"A monster."

Thor frowned, a familiar irritation rising up, buoyed by his physical pain.

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true. I'm a thing of nightmares and horror, whispered around the fire to stop children going into the woods."

"I have seen you in all forms and you are no monster."

"Am I not? Then why were you afraid I'd hurt you? Why did I hurt you if I'm not a monster? Wait until the hunger is on you Thor. When you see every creature around you as walking food, then come and speak to me about it."

"I know you don't see me that way. The beast doesn't see me that way."

"You know, you're right. It sees you as its mate. Dependable. Reliable. Subservient. Lesser. I shouldn't have come. You'd have been better off..."

"Don't you dare say I'd be better off without you. I'd be dead if I hadn't gone to the big house, taken by the same illness that killed my parents. That night you climbed in my window was fate."

"Oh, so you believe in fate but not in monsters?"

Thor shuffled until they were facing each other, waiting until Loki made eye contact with him.

"I believe in monsters. I just don't believe you are one of them."

Loki returned his kiss a little reluctantly, but did so all the same. He trailed his fingers over the bandage covering the bite afterwards.

"You can't kiss everything better, Thor."

"I can try."


	12. Chapter 12

Darcy had heated a bath for him, and even though getting down to the kitchen was difficult, getting to sit in warm water was wonderful.

He wasn't allowed to submerge his left arm, so Loki stayed to help him, scrubbing him down methodically, clinically, even though Thor kept playfully trying to catch his eye.

"Stop it," Loki muttered eventually. "You're not allowed to get too stimulated. I promise that when you're better I'll make up for lost time, but for now you need to stay calm. No naughtiness."

"Will you punish me for it?"

He got nothing but a heavy sigh and a fond smile for that.

All in all, Thor felt very spoiled indeed, being so carefully taken care of by everyone. His bed sheets were changed, he was brought food, Loki never left his side. A little physical affection would have convinced him fully that he'd died and gone to heaven.

The doctor came in the afternoon to check his progress and change his dressing.

It was obviously the first time Loki had seen the wound and he almost trembled as the bandages were removed, revealing the elongated ring of scar tissue. It was a lot better now, healing up and scabbing over, but Loki still fled the room.

"Not good with gore, huh?" the man asked.

"No," Thor agreed. "Not on people anyway. He's good with meat though."

He felt well enough to go down to dinner and eat with everyone, noting that they all looked tired but relieved. He hadn't realised how worried they must have been.

The only exceptions to this were Miss Maximoff, who seemed to be riding his wave of joy at having Loki back, and Mr Selvig who seemed decidedly not himself. Thor decided not to pry too much into that for now.

"Letter for you..." Darcy said, proffering an envelope at Loki. "Erm... Do you still want to be Mr Argento or should I call you...?"

"Argento is fine. And safest. Given that I am a fugitive."

He scanned down the page, frowning slightly.

"It's from Miss Potts," he said. "She wishes me a speedy recovery and mentions that Mr Stark very much wants me back to help out with the automatons."

"Ooh," Miss Foster said. "How very continental."

"Mm. Well, now Thor's better, I can go back."

"Is that wise?" Thor asked. "They're looking for you. Shouldn't you...hide or something?"

"No. I shouldn't seem rattled. They are looking for another man, not me. I'm not hiding for the rest of my life. I refuse to live in a cage, not again."

"The big house wasn't a cage."

"Not to you. You could leave. But here, for the first time since I was a child, I have a degree of freedom outside the four walls of a courtyard. I have no intention of giving that up just because my father is trying to have me arrested for a murder that evidently never took place."

"And prison would be quite a cage," Mr Selvig said. "If you weren't hanged outright."

There was an uneasy silence before Miss Foster spoke very quietly.

"Erik, that was unnecessary."

He rounded on her.

"Since these men have been with us, you've changed, Jane. The girl I knew, your father's daughter, would not believe in... In werewolves and mind reading. I don't understand what has happened to the scientist I once knew."

"I am still a scientist, and I'll thank you not to imply otherwise. But that means I trust the evidence of my own observations. I might not have solid proof, but I know what I saw."

Loki glanced fearfully between them.

"And are you planning to find proof?" he asked. "Because I know where that leads, Miss Foster. To another cage. To Thor and I chained up for the great and good to come and gawk at us, to tickets being sold for the night of the full moon. Or worse, it leads to the autopsy table as they try to find the switch in our brains."

"What's an autopsy table?" Thor asked.

"It means cutting us up. For _science._ "

"I swear to you," Miss Foster said. "I have no intention of exposing you. Any of you. You are safe here. But I would like to conduct some experiments..."

"No! No experiments."

"I agree," Miss Maximoff said. "This type of suggestion is exactly what I came here to avoid. This is exactly the kind of thing that made us leave our home Experiments, exorcisms, it's all the same and it all ends badly. We are living humans, not animals."

"Apparently some of us are both," Mr Selvig said darkly.

Loki snarled at him, nails marking the wood of the table. He seemed calmed by Thor's hand on his shoulder but just as quickly shrugged it off.

"I shall... I shall visit Miss Potts. She deserves to know that I am well."

He left them in various states of dismay.

"You see?" Mr Selvig said. "He is dangerous, Jane. We should hand him over to the proper authorities."

"He would not be so if you did not treat him so cruelly," Thor insisted.

"Mr Odinson, your loyalty is touching, but he supposedly loves you and yet you bear the marks on his temper upon you. Why should the rest of us feel safe? Though, of course, perhaps that is to be expected in a relationship like yours."

It was like a physical blow.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I've seen his type before. The kind who has social power and uses it to his advantage. He could do anything he wanted to you and you would bow and scrape to your master. How long did it take him to pressure you into a physical relationship?"

"That's enough," Miss Foster snapped. "Erik, step outside. Now."

There was awkward silence at the table, the distant sounds of raised voices in the yard carrying.

"He will inform on you," Miss Maximoff said. "Not today, not tomorrow, but soon. I feel it. You should be ready."

There wasn't much Thor could do but accept a friendly pat on his back from Pietro and sit up in his bed waiting for Loki to return from Miss Potts', smelling of oil and sweat and falling into his arms exhausted.


	13. Chapter 13

Mr Selvig left the next morning without even a goodbye, abandoning the house in a fix. Despite his relative lack of training, it was agreed that Thor should take over as ostler, taking care of the horses.

It was a surprise to everyone a week and a half later when Miss Maximoff announced that she and her brother wished to help and to be treated as equals rather than guests.

"You are not servants here," Miss Foster insisted. "Please, do not let our problems become yours."

"We have spoken about it. We like it here. Despite our primary reasons for coming, we have felt welcomed in a rare way. There is nothing connecting us to our birthplace, not any more. We would like to stay and earn our keep. After all, you will need help with finding your proofs. I would be grateful to assist."

"I find that surprising."

Miss Maximoff smiled pleasantly. 

"You distrust my gift, but you have begun to accept it. So imagine... Imagine someone lying about their scientific discoveries. You, as a true scientist, would wish to expose them. I feel likewise. Please let us work for you."

With some reluctance, Miss Foster agreed, making the household bigger than ever. Darcy suddenly had more help than she knew what to do with.

Mr Maximoff unnerved Thor a little, probably because he never spoke. But he seemed to understand and learned the routine quickly, diligently readying rooms step by step. And then he would appear silently by Thor's side looking for more tasks, making him jump. It was something Loki found endlessly amusing.

Since Mr Selvig had left, Loki seemed distinctly calmer. Thor felt a little bad for thinking it, but he was glad to be in a harmonious household at last.

Darcy, however, had started to be a little distant with him, something he vowed to get to the bottom of and confronted her about in a quiet moment.

"I'm sorry," she said, not looking at him, stirring a large pot of broth on the stove. "I know I've been strange. It's just... You and Lucas, you're... You're sodomites. And that's your business, none of mine, I just don't know how to act around you now."

"The same way. Nothing has changed. We are still friends, aren't we? You got me this job, you taught me how to run the inn, you looked after me when I was ill. I would hate to lose you."

And now she turned, wiping her hand on her apron.

"You haven't. You won't. It's just... It's a new idea to me. I never thought to meet someone thus inclined. And you seem no different to any other men I have met, and so I wonder how often I have just not known and... It's silly, Thor. I will get over it. You are a dear friend and I am glad you and Lucas are with us still."

He dared to kiss her lightly on her cheek for that, noting how she smelled of herbs and health and the soot from the fires.

In fact, smells in general became a mild obsession that day. Miss Foster smelled of ink and paper, Miss Maximoff of fresh air and faintly of gunpowder, and Mr Maximoff of hardly anything but soap and cleanliness.

And Loki...

He couldn't pin down what Loki smelled like, he just knew that he loved it. He sat at dinner not noticing that he ate, just aware of the intoxicating scent of Loki close to him and wanting more of it, always and forever more.

Loki laughed at him when they were alone together and Thor began snuffling at him, pulling at his clothes impatiently.

"Oh, hello. Yes, I used to be like this. Do you remember?"

Thor said nothing but shoved his head under Loki's arm, inhaling deeply.

"You're definitely cursed, my love. Two days till the full moon and you're going through wolf puberty. You'll learn to control it, don't worry. And clearly you're not bloodthirsty or there'd be no-one left alive in here."

He let Thor wrestle him into bed, sniffing and licking at him, suddenly aware that they were both hard as rocks.

"Fuck?" Thor asked softly, unsure where the rest of his sentence had gone. He'd meant to be more precise.

"Mmm, I was waiting for that. On your back then, come on."

It was awkward, Loki trying to slide his fingers deep inside while leaning far enough forwards that Thor could prop himself up on his elbows and nuzzle at Loki's head and neck. He couldn't help it, he just smelled so...right.

"Loki. Loki, you smell good."

"Do I now? That's nice."

He batted at Loki's laughing face even while trying to bring him closer, smelling arousal on him, yes, yes, now...

Loki was very gentle with him, letting him keep his nose pressed to his flesh, driving carefully into him. It was overwhelmingly good, the physical sensations seeming to heighten his sense of smell, sense of taste, licking at Loki's neck, even getting close enough to...

"No," Loki said firmly pushing him away. "Bad Thor. No biting."

He whined and struggled a little, but something in the back of his mind cowed him, made him relax and obey Loki's commands, glad to be rewarded by kisses and sweet caresses after a few moments.

"No biting," he said softly.

"That's right. Good boy."

Yes, he _was_ a good boy. A good boy who wanted to come now, rocking upwards into Loki's stomach for friction.

"That's it. Come on, Thor. You can do it."

"Hand," he whined. "Your hand."

He panted as Loki reached down to stroke his cock, long, strong tugs that made his flesh sing, canting up to meet the thrusts rolling into his body, clenching hard around each one.

Loki was unable to hold out, gasping softly as he spilled. The sensation was usually delicious to Thor, but now it put him into a frenzy, rutting desperately into Loki's hand and moaning into kisses.

His mind cleared a little afterwards, enough to swat at Loki gently for how smug he looked.

"Don't be embarrassed. You're just a very human-ish wolf. Your inner beast is domesticated. And that translates as being a little...puppy like."

"Don't tease me."

"Aw. Come here."

His petting was very pleasant and Thor relaxed into it despite himself.

"Who's a good boy, then?"

It was amazing they didn't wake anyone as Thor set about attacking Loki with angry cuddles in an effort to shut him up.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not bop your Thor on the nose. It is not a good form of discipline.

"If he tries to do anything naughty, just tap him on the nose and say 'No! Bad Thor!'"

Darcy looked at him warily, the way he was resting his head on Loki's shoulder and sighing contently, her eyes wide with concern.

"What if he's good? I mean, I want him to want to be good, not for him to be good because I'm going to tell him off if he's not."

"Food's always a winner. Or just tell him he's a good boy and scratch him behind the ears. You like that, don't you, Thor?"

It was very enjoyable, he had to admit, pressing his head into Loki's touch, those sinful fingers making pleasure shiver down his spine.

"How long will he be like this?"

"Oh, not long. I'll take him to the cottage tonight and leave him there tomorrow so he'll be back to normal in two days. And he'll get used to controlling himself soon enough. I only really had a turn this bad once. It's just because he's new to it. You'll be fine."

Thor whined unhappily when he realised Loki was leaving. He followed him up the stairs, almost to the door.

"I go to work every day, Thor. I'm coming back this evening. You know this."

"Don't leave me."

He sighed, stroking Thor's cheek. 

"I have to, but only for a little while. Now you go back down to the kitchen. Darcy needs you. You like Darcy, don't you? Yes. Good. I'll be back soon."

He did like Darcy, but he didn't like the fact that she was clearly afraid of him. Or that tasks he did every day were strangely difficult. He felt like he had too many thumbs.

Fortunately, Pietro was there to help him, doing the more delicate duties while Thor managed the heavy lifting and the clearing of the grates. He was glad that there weren't any visiting horses to be dealt with, only a couple of people passing through at lunchtime on foot. And they liked their help quiet, which suited him and Pietro just fine.

Darcy only bopped him on the nose once, when he tried to steal a piece of raw beef from the chopping board.

"No!" and a finger gently tapped him. "Bad Thor!"

"S-sorry," he stammered, drawing his hand back. "Sorry, I... It's hard. It's like I see food and forget how to wait..."

"Well, you're doing very well. You're... You're sweet like this. Just don't eat dinner before it's cooked."

She patted him vaguely on the head and he tried not to notice how happy it made him.

By the time Loki came home for dinner, Thor was sitting next to Darcy almost glowing as she scratched behind his ear as a reward for helping with the potatoes. He leapt up at hearing the door, rushing to greet Loki coming in, almost shaking with excitement.

He knew the others were laughing at him, but it was a fond laughter and he didn't mind, not when he was trying to welcome his love back from work.

"Did we have a good day?" Loki asked.

"I think so," Darcy said. "No real problems. He was a good boy."

They ate quickly, Loki eager to get him up to the cottage and out of harm's way. 

"Will you manage tomorrow without him?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. Pietro can handle the single-horse coach we're expecting, and the rooms are all ready anyway. Take him up. We'll be fine."

Being outside was _amazing._ There were new scents everywhere and he wanted to go and roll around in all of them. But Loki pulled him back every time he tried to stray from the path.

"Come along, Thor. You can go play with the butcher after the full moon has passed."

He bounded happily through the trees, Loki laughing to see him so ecstatic at such a simple thing. But the woods were so exciting, so full of new smells and sounds and Loki was with him and everything was wonderful.

Loki didn't fuck him that night, insisting that they needed to sleep, and admittedly when they were cuddled under a blanket he was soon drifting off happily.

Distinctly less happy was being left alone as Loki went into work. He was restless, snuffling around every corner of the cottage, picking up the trails of little animals that had invaded their home.

Outside in the woods, he lost track of how far he walked. He tried his best to chase down deer, but they moved too fast for him. For a while he followed a strange scent, eventually coming across a startled fox and her cubs. They clearly weren't used to humans discovering them.

Eventually he caught a wonderful, delicious, familiar smell in the air and sprinted through the trees towards it.

"Thor?" he heard. "Oh, Thor? Come here."

He wasn't sure what his body wanted to do, just make...noise.

Loki laughed as he came into view whooping and yelling and barrelling into him.

"It's wonderful," he said. "It's... Oh, God, you smell amazing..."

"You just think it's wonderful because you have good people to support you. And because you're so sweet that even with a ravenous wolf inside you, you become a happy little dog."

"You... You're still talking smart."

"There's a little while to go until moonrise so I'm not drifting too much yet. I brought dinner."

Thor fell on the food hungrily, tearing it with his nails and teeth. His tastebuds were alight and amazed, all flavours delicious to him. It was finished far too soon, Loki telling him that he ought to take his clothes off.

"But you said... You said more time."

He frowned. All right, this was awful, this inability to speak properly. The sentences seemed fine in his mind, and then went all wrong when he tried to say them.

"It's not for the change. It's because I want you."

Ah. That was very much all right, his brain telling him to sit up and beg as Loki crawled steadily towards him.


	15. Chapter 15

He was making strange sounds. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to plead Loki to come closer, to move faster, but he couldn't make his mouth make words.

"I know," Loki said. "Wait while I prepare you. Be patient."

That was easier said than done. All he wanted to do was roll over and present. The remnants of his human intelligence reminded him what a terrible idea that was and he made himself lie still.

And Loki made pleased noises when he did. They'd accidently stopped using words, communicating with movements and growls. Thor soon found himself rocking his hips, three of Loki's fingers buried within him.

Their kissing was rough, full of little nips and scratching each other's backs, before Loki tried his best to flip Thor over, growling when he failed.

Not that Thor needed much encouragement to turn onto his hands and knees, almost shaking in anticipation, breath leaving him in little huffs.

Neither of them were exactly dexterous, and actually coordinating enough for Loki to get in Thor was difficult, but once he was seated, they fell into a rhythm almost instantly.

Thor nearly howled, nails digging into the earth, eagerly rocking back through the burn as his cock leaked beneath him. This was all he wanted, wanted to be joined with Loki always, wanted to do this forever.

It was possible that Loki was speaking to him, but he couldn't understand. He'd become a creature of pure pleasure, caring for nothing except the sensations rolling through him.

Loki snarled behind him, but somehow not unpleasantly. It was possessive, but in a way that told Thor he belonged and was wanted and loved. 

Somewhere along the way, his hand found his cock, less able to handle himself than usual, but crying out anyway, feeling Loki's nails digging into him so familiarly.

They didn't come together, far from it. Thor fell first, literally, slumping onto his arms as soon as he'd spilled, Loki holding his hips up to drive into him almost to the point of pain before he came with something close to a yelp.

And something had started to happen to Thor as he pulled out. He felt decidedly strange suddenly, like he was going to vomit or faint.

"L... Lokiiii?"

"Change," Loki panted. "Change, change."

It _hurt_. Not a great deal, but it still hurt. His eyes misted with tears and his vision changed, a sudden lack of colour making him whine in alarm.

And then his ears stretched and he screamed, the sheer confusion of having his body change around him, feel his muscles tear and his ligaments unravel and reknit differently, hearing his tendons crack and re-attach.

The last thing he remembered was his knees snapping backwards before everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16

His eyes flicked open, finding the floor stretching away from him.

"Ow..."

Everything hurt. He felt as though he had pulled all his muscles and twisted all his joints.

He groaned and tried to roll over, pushing himself up to find Loki conspicuously absent.

"'oki?" he tried, coughing. "Loki?"

A head round the door.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"What happened?"

"Ask your wolf."

And yes, there was something changed in his mind. Like a faint feeling of extra eyes looking out. Someone else there. But he couldn't remember. He didn't know how to...

A long time ago, at Christmas, he had had more than his fair share of the heavy, cloying wine that was given to the servants. He'd woken with a stinking headache and only faint recollections of the night before. That was what this felt like, except that the headache had migrated to all the other parts of his body.

"Can't," he said, yelping when he tried to stand. "Oh, God, what happened? Why do I ache so much?"

"I think that, essentially, they were very happy to see one another, rolled around for a while, and then proceeded to fuck all night."

Well, that certainly explained a few of the more intimate pains. His mind was a lot clearer this morning too as he limped to the waterbutt. 

"You didn't tell me that the change hurts."

"Well... It's been happening to me all my life. I'm used to it. It didn't seem worth mentioning. Sorry."

"So our beasts definitely love each other?"

"Insatiably. You should speak to Miss Maximoff. She might be able to advise you about talking to it. I mean, the hardest thing is that they don't communicate as we do. It's not...like words, it's images and emotions. So mine looks at you and it thinks 'mate, love, desire, need.' But not separately, that's just...what the idea translates as."

He couldn't help but be flattered.

"So they're... The beasts, they're not us, they're separate?"

"Not exactly. Your beast is you and mine is me, but they are just aspects of us. Think of it as getting in touch with your primal side. That's what it is, it's the parts of you that are animal and basic."

Hmm. It was going to take him a while to get his head around this concept, but he didn't exactly have a choice.

Could have been worse though.

They dressed quickly, hurrying home. And this was a much better day for Thor. He still had strong senses, particularly hearing and scent, but all of his normal faculties. If he could stay like this forever, he'd be very happy.

Miss Maximoff sought him out when his duties were complete, knowing that he wanted to speak with her.

"Are you and Miss Foster getting along?" he asked out of politeness.

"Indeed. She is a fascinating woman. She wants nothing more than to stop people preying in the vulnerable. I like her very much, even if she doesn't trust me yet. Her world view has been recently recalibrated. It is no surprise that she is feeling a little adrift. But you want to speak to your inner creature, yes?"

"Yes, please. I just want to know if it's...happy, I suppose. To know if it's dangerous."

She took both his hands, closing her eyes, and he could almost feel her prodding at the edges of his mind.

"Er... Happiness. Contentment. Erm... Hmm..."

She frowned for a while, head occasionally jerking.

"Reach," she said. "Reach for where you feel it. Reach for it."

He closed his eyes and gave it a shot, unsure if he was going go manage until he felt it.

It was so strangely familiar. But then again, it was him, part of him. An aspect of him. An aspect of him with very simple wants.

At the forefront of its mind was Loki, held up like a beacon of perfection, greatly loved and desired. Secondary to him was food, and Darcy was mixed in there somewhere as the bringer of food. Miss Foster was made an appearance as an admired figure of authority, and the Maximoffs registered as something like cousins, part of the wider pack.

It was distressing to find its fears and hatreds, mostly surrounding Laufey. There was also a kind of strange lingering loyalty, which made him almost sick.

But overall, it did not seem like a dangerous creature. It was happy, felt at home. He wasn't concerned for anyone's safety. As long as Loki and food were nearby, it would be content.

He hadn't noticed Miss Maximoff dropping his hands until he came up from the depths of his mind.

"Is that...what you do?" he asked.

"A little bit. It's more difficult with other people. But hopefully you will be able to speak to it often now. See through its eyes as it sees through yours one day."

It was a relief to know that he wouldn't completely lose his memories every month.

For all Loki had worried, Thor felt confident that he could live like this for the rest of his days. As long as he was never separated from Loki. If that happened, he honestly couldn't tell what the beast would do.


	17. Chapter 17

They came for him on a Tuesday.

Thor wasn't prepared for visitors. None were expected. The hoof beats were his first warning, ducking his head outside to realise with horror that he knew the man riding towards them.

"Pietro!" he yelled. "Run to Miss Potts' and tell Lucas to hide. Go, go now, out the front door. I'll stall them."

He realised the flaw in this plan immediately and just prayed that Loki would know that the sudden arrival of Mr Maximoff must signal danger.

There was no point in him hiding from Laufey. He'd clearly been tipped off, Mr Selvig no doubt. Thor stepped outside brazenly, unashamed in the face of the man who had taken him in and then cast him out, who saw Loki as a burden and embarrassment, the man who was staring him down in rage, flanked by two other riders.

"You're meant to be dead, Odinson."

"Well, I'm not. Surprise. Good luck having your son locked up for my murder."

"Where is he?"

Thor shrugged.

"Can't help you. Sorry."

He was aware of Misses Foster and Maximoff coming out to stand with him, no doubt summoned by suddenly sensing his fear.

"Madam," Laufey said, nodding politely. "I am here to accost a pair of dangerous criminals. Where is Loki Laufeyson?"

"I know no-one of that name," Miss Foster said.

"Sir, the other information leads us elsewhere," one of the men said. "Should we follow it?"

"No, I'll go," Laufey said dismissively. "Take the spare. He might come in useful."

Thor fought hard, but despite his strength there were too many of them. He surrendered early on, hearing Miss Foster yelling about how this abduction was completely contrary to the law and that she would alert the authorities immediately as he was bound and thrown across the back of one of the horses. He heard the slap and the gasp, and knew that Laufey had struck her across the face.

"It will be well," Thor said, not believing himself. "I will be back, I promise."

As they trotted out, he managed to catch a glimpse back at the inn, Miss Foster holding a hand to her cheek and Miss Maximoff supporting her. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just hoped Loki was safe. That he was hidden. That Miss Potts would lie for him.

It was several hours before he was carried through his old village on the way to the big house. There was almost something comforting about arriving at familiar places. He knew these people, some of them. They would not allow anything bad to happen to him.

It was less comforting to be dragged through the big house to be dumped in the forbidden room. The room Loki used to transform in with the heavy hooks on the wall and the grimy water bowl.

Hours must have passed before Laufey came to see him. Part of Thor had sworn to strike him, attack him, for everything he had done to Loki, for his cruelty and ruthlessness. But he didn't. He just sat and waited.

"Where is Loki?" Laufey asked. "Where has he scurried away to?"

Ah. So they hadn't found him yet.

"Why do you care? He's gone. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"I need him here. It's not safe for him out in the wild."

"You want him in a cage."

Laufey paced a little in front of him.

"Loki could have had everything. This house, control of the surrounding lands, a steady income and the means to deal with his little problem. But no. He had to throw it all away on a servant. A servant _boy_ at that. At least if he'd fathered a few puppies here and there, that I could have understood."

"Liar. You hate him. You've always hated him for what he is."

"He is my son. For better or worse, whether he likes it or not, his place is here. He will learn, I am sure of it, once certain...distractions are out of the way."

Thor tensed at that. There was no mistaking the intention, and Laufey laughed to see him panic.

"Don't worry. You're safe until he comes for you. My boy needs to be taught a lesson, so he must be present for it. Maybe I'll allow you one last kiss before you die. It depends how merciful I feel that day. If you won't give up his whereabouts, I suppose I'll just have to wait for him to come to me. After all, I have the best bait available."

He left again, bolting the heavy door shut, trapping Thor alone with his thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

Except he wasn't alone with his thoughts at all. Surely Miss Maximoff would be reaching for him. It would be an extreme test of her powers to read him over such a long distance, but it was worth a try.

_Don't come. Dangerous. Don't come. Dangerous. Don't come. Dangerous..._

He tried to think as loudly as possible, as though that might help. It became a constant mantra for him, filling his mind as food and water were brought for him, echoing in his skull as the last thing he thought before sleeping and the first when he woke up.

He was trapped there for days. He tried to keep track of how many, but it was impossible. With nothing to do, he felt like he paced endlessly, sleeping whenever the urge hit him. He only saw two people - a serving girl who seemed not to hear his pleas for help and news, and Laufey himself. His visits were growing ever more frequent.

"Where is he?"

Thor shrugged.

"Why doesn't he come for you? Are you no longer lovers?"

Silence.

Laufey sighed, falling into his habit of pacing, just as Thor did. There would no doubt be a groove worn in the floor before too long.

"You know, I always liked you, Thor. You were obedient and trustworthy. You followed instructions, you didn't ask questions. Strong, honest, open. You were everything I wanted Loki to be. And so when you effectively became his manservant, I was glad. I thought it would be good for him to spend time with one like you. Imagine how disappointed I was to find put what you were doing together."

He wouldn't rise to it. Thor sat sullenly quiet, waiting for Laufey to take his leave.

"The full moon is in four days' time, you know. You really think the women in that little household of yours will be safe with the beast on the prowl?"

He did think they'd be safe. Loki would not harm them. And if that was the case, then four days' time would be his best chance to escape, while he had additional strength and heightened senses. He'd just have to judge it right and try not to let his wolf brain overwhelm him.

"Hey," he said to the serving girl the next day, brandishing his arm. "It's close to the full moon. I'm cursed. I'll need to be restrained."

She said nothing, backing away from him fearfully, but Laufey arrived soon after to demand he show his scar.

"Is this real?"

"I don't see how I could have fabricated it in here."

Laufey narrowed his eyes.

"So the beast finally turned on you. I can't say I'm surprised. It's in his nature. Unless you willingly allowed this to happen, let him make you like him. Did he want to fuck as dogs as well as humans?"

Thor ignored him.

"I will need to be restrained for everyone's safety. I have no desire to slaughter these people. I perhaps wouldn't mind tearing your throat out, but, well... Human flesh makes me ill."

He was a little proud of the way Laufey scrambled back from him. It was becoming clear now. All his cruelty towards Loki came from a place of fear and cowardice. He was afraid of the wolf and so punished the man, creating a vicious cycle of pain, hatred and resentment.

Now Thor just had to try to hold himself steady when the time came.

The day before the full moon, as Thor sat near the barred window trying to inhale some of the distant scents below, there was some kind of disturbance in the courtyard. An unexpected visitor.

Thor threw himself upwards, trying to sniff harder, trying to tell if that was Loki. There was a vaguely familiar smell, but definitely not that one.

"What's happening?" he tried asking, not expecting the servant to reply. She didn't.

He was keeping control over the wolf far better than on his first day out. It was there, prowling angrily around his mind, wanting blood in return for being separated from its lover, wanting screams and retribution.

He held it back. If he was going to get out of here alive, he needed the savagery of the wolf and his human intelligence combined.

It was a long shot, he knew, feeling his hackles rise as Laufey opened the door, chains in hand.

He waited until the door had closed before pouncing. 

Laufey yelled and stumbled, but wasn't off-guard for long. Thor suffered a strong backhand, his limbs flying as he tried to keep them unchained. Snarls and growls were pouring from his throat as he battled to bring his human mind to the fore, to grip the chain _there_ and twist like _that_ and apply pressure _here_...

He managed to force Laufey back, a loop of chain around his neck, hooking it into the wall before shackling his hands. He choked and coughed but still managed to cry out hoarsely for help.

Thor ripped the cuff from his shirt and stuffed it into his mouth as a makeshift gag, tying another strip of fabric around his head to hold it in place.

He did get bitten for his trouble, but it just made him laugh.

"Had worse," he growled, holding up his arm.

He turned away, reached for the handle and tugged.

The door didn't shift.


	19. Chapter 19

Thor raged, battering his hands against the door, yanking and shoving at it with all his strength. 

He caught a strange sound behind him and realised it was Laufey laughing at him. He snarled, pressing right up against the man's face.

"Change," he growled. "Change soon."

And then the screaming began.

It was sudden, piercing the air, sudden shrieks of women and yells of men, and through it all...

Thor's head jerked back. That smell... Oh, God, that smell.

"Loki!" he yelled. "Loki, Loki!"

"Thor!"

The scent came closer and closer until it was outside and Thor was beside himself with overexcitement, leaping up and slamming his hands into the door.

"Loki?"

"Thor!" 

And answering slams back. They were so close... If only they could open this infernal door.

And then a calm voice spoke to him.

"Thor, listen to me. You have to listen very carefully. Do you know who I am?"

He frowned. It was a familiar voice, to be sure, but it was just on the edge of his thoughts. He planted his nose close to the floor and inhaled deeply. Ink. Oil. Mothballs.

"Potts."

"That's right. Now, I need to to help me. You need to take hold of the hoop in front of you and turn it to the right. Then push forward and jerk it back to the left."

Hoop, that made sense. But he was having trouble thinking through the fog of his mind. The change was coming, and soon.

"Come on, Thor. You can do it. Turn it, push and jerk it back."

It took a little growling and wiggling the iron ring back and forth before the door opened and Loki fell into him.

"Thor! Thor, Thor!"

"Loki!"

They rolled together delightedly, hands running over each other's bodies and inhaling deeply.

"Yes, well done," Miss Potts was saying, looking a little worse for wear from whatever had happened on their way here. "You know one another's names. Now come on, we must leave."

But Loki had caught sight of his father and was advancing, teeth bared.

"Mine," he snarled. "He's mine."

Thor wasn't sure where the impulse came from. He just knew that even though part of him wanted to tear Laufey limb from limb, that line of action would end badly for them.

He raised his hand and tapped his lover's face.

"Bad Loki," he managed. "No biting."

There was a moment's pause where Loki simply stared at him, as though not believing that Thor would dare to tell him off. But the next second, he was lurching awkwardly to his feet and staggering towards the door.

"You need to get out of here," Miss Potts said. "Before you change. Come on."

Thor could feel the wolf rising, that feeling of sickness starting to roll through him. In the distance, horns sounded, hooves striking ground, oncoming soldiers.

They ran through the courtyard, passing the big automaton, but he didn't have the time to wonder what part it had played in his rescue, they just had to run through the panicked crowds and out through the gates.

"Run for the forest! Run, run now!"

Loki took his hand and started sprinting, half dragging him along, making a beeline for the safety of the trees.

They were within a few feet of it when his vision shifted, the colours bleeding out, desperately fighting against the inevitable, forcing his legs to keep going even as his shoes slipped from his shrinking feet.

He fell forward a few steps into the woods, crying out as the change overtook him, hoping against hope that they had made it far enough.

Next to him, Loki howled.


	20. Chapter 20

Everything hurt.

Thor sat up, noting that he was naked, but not cold. Somewhere along the lines, he must have lost his clothes and his...

"Loki?"

Vague groaning from behind him where Loki was lying splayed out in the dirt. He coughed, traces of blood around his mouth.

"Is that... Oh, tell me that's not human. We didn't hurt anyone, did we?"

Tentative licking.

"No. Tastes of you. I think... Ugh, I think I tried to carry you by the scruff of your neck. It took a while for you to recover from the change this time and I tried to drag you out of sight."

Thor carefully felt his back, finding a light set of scratches, already healing up.

"No harm done," he said. "What, er... How did you...everything?"

Loki crawled over to him, pulling him down and dragging his arm close enough to rest his head on it, eyes closed.

"Well... Wanda picked up your trail. Well done on the warnings. And... It's complicated. For a start, Miss Foster was rather holding out on us."

"What... What do you mean?"

"She isn't Miss Foster. She's _Lady_ Foster. She's a countess. Sold the ancestral home, bought the inn, made herself into one of those eccentric nobles, you know. But anyway. She has connections. Lots of them, in the scientific world and the gentry."

"And they...helped?"

"Mmm. She... And Miss Potts, Miss Potts helped too. They contacted the authorities to say that you had been taken by my father. Wrongful imprisonment. And I testified to my reasons for leaving the big house and proved that I had not murdered you or anyone else for that matter. And... And we told them that my father wanted me imprisoned for he believed me cursed."

Thor sat up sharply, dislodging Loki in the process.

"You told them?!"

"No. God, no. Miss Foster testified that I was not a werewolf. Of course I'm not. There is no such thing."

Thor frowned.

"I'm not sure I understand..."

Loki flapped at him until he lay down again and submitted to snuggling.

"Werewolves aren't real. Therefore we can't be werewolves. This is scientific fact. So if my father insists that at every full moon I become a slathering monster, he's clearly a madman."

"But... But the big house, everyone knows what you are..."

"Everyone was told what I was. No living person in that house has ever seen me change. My father's shame finally came in useful. He'll be arrested and will have to choose between prison and Bedlam. Either way, it seems I have come into my inheritance somewhat earlier than expected."

Thor stared upwards, trying to process this. Of course, he knew that Loki would become baron one day, but this was quite a turn up for the books.

"And the automaton? I saw it when we were fleeing."

"Mm. Do you know anything about such machines?"

"Nothing at all."

"They are...very fashionable among the upper classes. Not many out here in the countryside. I needed to be close by, at the full moon, so we could get you out and run. But if I was seen, obviously, the alarm would be raised and if you could smell me clearly, that could also spell danger. Do you know about the Trojan horse?"

"The what?" Thor asked, surprised by such a sudden question.

"The Trojan horse."

"I know about horse shoes, tackles, bridles, calming horses, feeding horses, brushing horses but no. I don't know what that is."

Loki chuckled, leaning up to kiss him.

"Don't ever stop being practical, my love. The Trojan horse was a military trick. One army built a large wooden horse as a peace gift for their enemy. And then they hid inside it so that when they rolled the horse through the city gates, they were in fact bringing their enemy inside."

"You were...in the automaton. They brought you in."

"Exactly. A perfect hiding place and lined with linen to make it comfortable and dampen my scent. Miss Potts came as a representative of the automaton maker. We're....relatively certain that Mr Stark won't mind us borrowing his tin man and removing its insides temporarily. My father was keen to see such a fine example of the art and I was carried through the gate. Obviously, the full moon would be our best chance to find you. It had to be then."

"So Miss Potts knows now also? Knows what we are?"

"I don't think she truly believed. Thought we were all demented no doubt. But I think due to her regard for Miss Foster, she agreed to help free you and so she saw the worst of us..."

"Not quite the worst. I'm amazed we didn't immediately start rutting. It has been longer than we've ever not after all. I'm amazed we haven't yet, to be honest."

He felt Loki shift and roll on top of him.

"Are you really telling me to stop recounting the tale of a daring rescue to rub against you until you spill?"

"No... But since you've suggested it and we are conveniently naked and far from people..."

"And our blood is hot..."

They lunged at the same time, mouths hitting together painfully, rolling in the moss and laughing.

"Oh, I missed you. I missed you so much."

"Mmm, Loki... Yeah, like this."

Thor found himself pinned, barely able to thrust upward, but Loki was energetically rutting against his thigh, his own pressed firmly between Thor's legs and creating glorious friction with every motion.

He was unsure when he grew frenzied, clamping his legs around Loki and turning him, to rub off against his hip while Loki moved against his inner thigh.

"So warm..."

"God, your skin..."

They were like inexperienced youths, hurriedly rubbing and spilling against each other's bodies, the air around them full of gasps and moans.

Part of Thor would have been happy to lie still longer, but he knew they had to try to get back and stop everyone worrying about them.

He just hoped they found their clothes along the way.


	21. Chapter 21

Their wolf-selves had run far into the woods, leaving them in unfamiliar surroundings. With a little discussion about the position of the sun, they set off, Loki resuming the story where he'd been so rudely (but enjoyably) interrupted.

"It was decided that Miss Potts and I would go ahead and that the soldiers would serve as a distraction as we fled. We really should have moved earlier. It didn't occur to me that you would have trouble with the door."

"But you knew I'd free myself."

"Never doubted it for a second. By the time the troops arrived, we were meant to be long gone. It's lucky we had Miss Potts with us. She figured out the door mechanism, that it was counterintuitive and had to be turned the wrong way and pushed and twisted. I wouldn't have been able to explain it, not in a way you would have understood so close to changing. It was a security measure, designed to keep even the cleverest dog inside. And the cleverest dog isn't exactly smart..."

"So the soldiers weren't coming for us? Why did we run then?"

"Well, when your primary defence is 'we are not werewolves', being seen as two great furry beasts does rather give the game away. We were going somewhere safe. That was the story. And then returning in the morning when it had all calmed down."

"And clothes? We can't go back naked."

Loki frowned.

"Well... Hopefully we'll find those on our way."

Nearly twenty minutes of walking later, Thor caught a familiar smell. Something like home and hearth, welcoming and friendly.

"Darcy?" he called. "Is that you?"

"Thor?"

They rushed forward, finding the edge of the forest and Darcy blushing bright red, eyes closed.

"Clothes," she said, brandishing garments at them. "Thought you might need some and Miss Potts said this was where you went in."

He wanted to kiss her face, but thought it might be unwelcome when she couldn't see them.

"Whose are these?" he asked, only getting a hefty scent of mothballs from them.

"We, er... We borrowed them from the big house. I think they're old ones of Baron Laufey's. Former Baron Laufey's."

They were big on Loki's slight frame and pinched at Thor, but better than nothing.

"And I should really be bowing," she continued. "Seeing as we have nobility in our midst. More than usual."

Loki snorted as she grinned at him.

"You knew?" Thor said accusingly. "You knew Miss Foster was Lady Foster?"

They fell into step on the way back to the big house.

"Of course I did. I knew her when she was called Little Lady Jane by everyone, regardless of age. After her brother..."

She frowned a little and then shrugged.

"I don't suppose it matters if I tell you. We all know so much about each other now, what's one more revelation? Miss... Lady... _Jane_ was never supposed to inherit. Her brother was. But he died suddenly, in a riding accident. The grief drove her mother to despair, seeking comfort from psychics who claimed they could speak to his deceased spirit. And soon enough, she began to consult her medium's advice for every act in her life, paying out each time. It completely destroyed their family. Lord Foster tried his best, demonstrated the lies that were being told, but her grief had taken her reason with it. I believe she died of sadness, unable to face an uncaring world. And once she was gone, the extent of her involvement with the occultist became clear."

"What was it? What happened?"

Darcy sighed.

"She believed that the medium's supposed ability to talk with her son meant that they ought to receive her son's inheritance. She'd had her will rewritten in secret, giving everything to this... This liar and thief. Fortunately, the courts deemed it invalid. The beneficiary was also the witness, which is highly illegal."

"And so... That's why Miss Foster hates psychics so much?"

"Mm. I remember she explained it all to me once, soon after I began working for her. How her mother, an intelligent woman to be sure, had been targeted and how many others might be likewise fooled. And so she became her father's assistant in revealing frauds until his death, and then she continued alone. It's her crusade. She taught herself all about the scientific method, control experiments, chemical tests. I admire her determination very much."

They were nearly at the gates when Thor blurted out a question that was nagging at him.

"Does she truly not believe there is anything after death? Does she...think that this is the end?"

"Well," Darcy said. "She will never admit it, but I think she believes some things are simply unknowable. And what with you two and Miss Maximoff... She has had rather a heavy blow to her world view. But she will adapt, I'm sure of it. There is always just more to know. That is the one thing I know she believes."

Thor smiled sideways at Loki.

"You see?" he said. "I told you she was malleable."


	22. Chapter 22

Miss Foster was not there to meet them, busy talking to the police, but Miss Potts was, trying to lift the automaton onto a small cart. She was happy to accept Thor's help and his thanks for her aid the night before.

"I didn't know... I mean, I wasn't expecting to end up holding the fort. But... Well, it was certainly an adventure. And I don't think I'll forget seeing you change anytime soon, even if it was in the distance."

"Where is my father?" Loki asked. "Is he still here?"

"No. He's been arrested. I believe Miss Foster will be back soon. She's giving a statement. But you should really address the staff. They're worried."

Not as worried as Loki seemed though, standing up before the small crowd of servants and workers to tell them that he had returned and would be taking up the house and lands as the new baron. Thor watched him nervously, unsure where these plans were coming from.

"We're staying?" he asked afterwards.

Loki sighed.

"These people need their occupations. They need an employer. I will try to be a better baron than my father. But I don't have a choice, not really."

"I know, but... But the inn..."

"I'm sorry, Thor. If you want to go back then of course you must."

"What? Leave you? No. I think we have established well enough that I do not do well without you."

Loki glanced around before pulling him into an alcove and kissing him softly. He seemed a little annoyed when Thor drew back with a fresh idea.

"We should invite them to live here with us," he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"Miss Foster and Darcy and the Maximoffs, they could come here. There are rooms enough and income. The tests could continue here, without the trouble of an inn and the expense of it. And we would still be our little pack, together."

Loki chewed on his lip, considering.

"Would it make you happy?"

"Yes. And don't pretend it wouldn't please you too."

"They did... That is, other than you, they were the first people to treat me as a person, not a beast. Very well, ask them. And then after dinner..."

And now he began to playfully walk his fingers up Thor's arms.

"After dinner, I'm going to take you back to my old bed. Oh, so many happy, happy memories to relive together. Hmm?"

Thor practically melted into him.

Darcy seemed a little taken aback by his plan for them to all live in the big house, but the more Thor talked about the open air and particularly about how there would be fewer duties for her to deal with, the happier she became.

"I have missed a manor," she said wistfully. "I think it a fine plan, and I expect the Maximoffs will like the idea of settling down peacefully for good. But Jane... You will have to talk to her."

He had to talk to a lot of people that day, it seemed. All his old friends wanted to see for themselves that he was not dead, and he seemed to be accosted at every turn. Word reached him that he'd been given a new role, aiding Loki in the daily running of the estate and house as an assistant.

And then there were the police, who wanted to know the details of his abduction and to ask him about Laufey's treatment of Loki and the charges laid against him.

It was a long time before he found Miss Foster, wandering around the yard curiously.

"You...didn't say you were nobility, Miss," he said, watching her blush a little.

"Well, it didn't seem necessary to keep all the airs and graces that comes with all that."

Thor wasn't quite sure how to proceed and so simply plunged ahead with it.

"We want you to come and live here. That is, Loki and I would like to invite you and Darcy and Mr and Miss Maximoff to live here and conduct your experiments and tests here and not worry about financing the inn anymore."

She stared at him.

"I realise that you feel grateful, but really, I couldn't accept so generous a..."

"It's not... It's not because we're grateful. We _are_ grateful, very grateful, but that's not why. We were like a little family. I don't really have anyone, just Loki, and I don't want to lose that if we could avoid it and..."

She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.

"I will talk to Loki," she said. "See if we can figure out the details. No promises, but I agree. The inn wouldn't be the same without you both. Pietro would have to do all the ostler work himself for a start..."

It's a strange beginning to a new life, though perhaps not so unusual compared to their first meeting when he had wandered out of the woods and into her house.

By the time Loki was sitting at the head of the table for dinner, almost shy to be taking his father's place, Thor felt as though whole days had gone by since their arrival.

But knowing that soon he would be back in that beloved place, where they had been so happy so long ago, where he would take Loki in his arms, finally and forever safe, made his heart soar.


	23. Chapter 23

Loki was smiling softly at him as they climbed the stairs, clearly remembering so many other nights when they had walked this way together. But things were different now. 

For a start, Thor wouldn't have to scramble away afterwards, back to his own bed. No-one would come to wake them so he could stay all night, cuddled up in the sheets.

The room hadn't changed a lot, but then again Loki didn't own very much personally. There wasn't really anything for Laufey to get rid of, if he had felt so inclined. It was very nearly identical to how he had last seen it.

"I'd like to try something a little different tonight, darling," Loki said quietly.

"What kind of different?"

Loki flopped down onto the bed, trailing his fingers up his chest.

"Do you remember our first time? I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that I wanted you, in every possible way, not knowing how to accomplish my wish. But do you remember what you asked me? Tonight, I'd like to ask you the very same question."

Thor felt his mouth go dry as he clambered onto the bed, crawling up Loki's body. Yes, he remembered. And he needed to hear Loki say it, taking his hand and pressing kisses to his fingers.

"Thor... Would you like to mount me?"

He moaned into the kiss laid on his lips. Truly, Thor hadn't really thought about experiencing things from the other position, but thinking about having Loki feel the blinding pleasure that he knew, by his hands, to get to feel him writhe and clench around him and cry out for him, there could be nothing he wanted more.

"You will have to help me," Loki said. "Again. I've only ever prepared you. I'm not sure I'll be able to angle correctly."

The oil was still in its usual place, the smell of it throwing Thor's memories back to so many experimental nights, Loki above him or lying down to be ridden, so familiar and pleasant.

He tore off his own garments but was almost reverent in removing Loki's, carefully revealing every inch of skin like he hadn't seen and touched all of it that very morning. Loki sighed as he ran kisses along his stomach, rubbing his thighs before easing his legs apart.

His heightened senses were a sea of warmth, the combined smell of Loki and the sweet oil, every gasp and half moan echoing in his ears as he gently traced the very tip of his index finger around Loki's entrance, grinning when it elicited a delicious shiver.

Cautiously, carefully, he slipped inside, slowly pumping in and out, hearing Loki's breath hitch, his eyes wide and lips parted.

"All right? Doesn't hurt?"

"No, it... It's strange, but I like it."

"I shall give you more then."

Two fingers crooking upwards and Thor definitely found the right spot, Loki jerking suddenly and crying out. He tried to angle correctly, to brush against it just slightly with every thrust, practically drooling at the sight of Loki arching and rocking his hips in an unspoken plea for more.

By the time he was using three fingers, scisscoring and stretching, Loki was letting out plaintive little mewling sounds.

"Please," he managed. "Please, Thor, please, I'll come if you don't stop but I want to wait, wait till you're fucking me..."

"Ready?"

He took the sinful moan and the sharp snap of hips as a yes, leaning over Loki to carefully press in.

It was like nothing he'd ever experienced. Everything was so hot inside, the generous amount of oil squelching a little as he pushed deeper, Loki moaning all the while until he was buried to the hilt.

"God, Thor... Is it like this for you? So full?"

Thor chuckled. 

"Yes, it is. You fill me up so well. If I can give you the same pleasure you give me, I will be very happy."

"Go on, then. Fuck me. But be gentle, please."

Thor began a careful rhythm, long, smooth thrusts designed to take Loki's breath away and ease him into the sensation.

It wasn't long until Loki was bucking upwards, half-growling and increasing the speed for himself. Thor was only two happy to go along with it, matching each of his motions, snapping his hips forward and dragging back.

"Mmm... Ah, Thor, yes. Oh, keep going."

"Gonna come?"

"Not yet. Oh... Oh, it feels so good."

Trying to tilt upwards, Thor did his best to not only brush Loki's prostate but to pound it, grinning viciously when Loki almost screamed beneath him, body jerking out of control and a litany of moans pouring from his lips.

"Like this?"

"Fuck..."

They were both laughing, joyous to be experiencing this together, bodies awash with pleasure and passion, Thor reaching down to wrap his hand around Loki's cock.

Instinctively, Loki bucked up with even more force, his muscles tensing with effort as he fucked into Thor's fist. Thor imagined having that fast rhythm inside him and tried to match it, tried to throw Loki over the edge.

He could feel the tight clenching of Loki's inner muscles, spasming with pleasure, so very close.

"That's it," he said. "Come on. You're perfect like this. Come for me. Mark me with your seed."

Loki's spine arched as he spilled, mouth open around a ragged cry, letting out little moans as Thor finished with long, deep thrusts, eyes opening wide as Thor came.

"I can feel it," he whispered. "Inside, I can feel it."

"Yes," Thor said, wanting to grind deeper and hold himself there, but finding it impossible as his cock softened. "I know, it's a strange sensation."

"It's delicious. Oh, so intimate... I will not clean myself, I want to wake still wet with you."

Very well. Thor pulled him into a warm embrace, seed smearing between then but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when he had Loki sighing and glowing with contentment against his skin, as though everything he wanted was right there next to him.

Lazy kisses grew ever sloppier as they began to fall asleep, Thor mumbling a little.

"G'dnight, Baron."

"Goodnight, puppy."


	24. Chapter 24

There were many stories surrounding the home of Baron Loki.

Some said he had driven his father mad. Others that he had merely done what he needed to for survival under an abusive father. Everyone agreed that either way, life under him was an improvement. The trial of Laufey had been long and tedious, but the evidence of the room with chains and other accusations of cruelty from the staff were enough to have him imprisoned and his titles stripped away. The cost of rent took a small but welcome drop soon afterwards. It would seem that Loki wanted to live more simply than his father had, and that suited his tenants just fine.

Some said that Loki was secretly married to Lady Foster, the scientist who lived with him. Others said that Lady Foster and her maid were (and their voices would dip as they said it) confirmed old maids. None questioned her right to experiment and learn in a new laboratory on the upper floors of the house, even if sometimes her eyebrows were a little singed.

Some said that Loki housed a witch and the witch's brother, who practised dark magic and drank blood and might be...involved with one another too much. Others insisted that if she was a witch at all, she was a good one, helping to keep others from harm. Those who met her found her charming and understanding in a rare way.

Some said that Loki loved his assistant more than was proper. Others knew that they loved each other just the right amount. What amount that was precisely, they refused to say.

Some said he was a werewolf. And it was true that no-one ever saw him or his companion on the night of the full moon. But everyone knew that werewolves did not exist. How ridiculous to say so. Ha-ha-ha...

But some still said that sometimes, when the moon had just risen, if you sat in the right place, you would see Lady Foster leave the big house, a little bundle under her arms and two large dogs by her side. One dark and focused, alert and bright; one pale and playful, running and leaping joyfully.

They said she would walk with them to the edge of the forest and lay the bundle down before the dogs took off into the woods.

They said that the next morning, hands would reach out from the undergrowth and snatch the bundle and that soon afterwards Baron Loki and his loyal companion Thor would emerge from the trees, arms flung around each other's waists, hair wild and tangled, smiling and sighing happily as they walked home together, bare feet leaving trails in the dew.

So they said anyway.

Somehow, no-one ever felt the need to go up and check on their landlord.

After all, they said. Better a wolf in the big house, than a wolf at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there we go. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Coming soon? Well, [Killing Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4066723/chapters/9153286) is still going along if you are interested in that.
> 
> I have a PWP or two under construction and a vague suggestion of a new installment of Thor in Glasses.
> 
> Unbelievably, I don't have a niggling long fic idea right now so... Idk. Something new soon, no doubt. I just don't know what or when.
> 
> Thank you very much once again. I love you all.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Underneath The Wolf Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270755) by [JaneDoe876](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneDoe876/pseuds/JaneDoe876)




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